FAI Sailplane Grand Prix news January 2015

The first FAI Sailplane Grand Prix event of 2015 at Worcester in the Cape Mountains of South Africa produced some spectacular races. The fastest race speed was 189.9 Kilometres per hour by Laurens Goudriaan of South Africa during race 4 with a fantastic flight around 475 kilometres, even the slowest winning race speed was 138 kilometres per hour. The contest was a close match with a battle for first place between Laurens and Uli Schwenck of Germany but Laurens last two day wins clinched the first place and this top pair blew away the opposition with their consistent and very fast flying. The race location at Worcester has proved itself to have a great potential as a Grand Prix site and I am sure there are many pilots who will be keen to fly the next event there. See all the results and event videos at http://www.sgp.aero/southafrica2015

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1985-2014 : The Two Stories of the Exceptional Pilots Who Flew Over Himalaya on a Glider

The Himalaya and its vast territories, gigantic mountains, spiritual people and wild beauty have long exerted extraordinary fascination - which is far from fading.

Ever since the 19^th century when Europeans were increasingly present in the region, adventurers coming from all around the world strived to understand its culture and conquer its vast lands and high summits. The tops of Kamet, Minya Konka, Kabru and Annapurna were the first to be reached in the 30s and early 50s, and in 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa Tensing Norgay ascended the tallest of them all, the Everest. The immense worldwide impact of their successful expedition, which instantly made of Hillary and Tensing Norgay living legends, contributed to fuel the myth of the Everest and of the whole of Himalaya. Since then, all the mountains of the Himalaya chain have been climbed and thousands of hikers and trekkers come to Nepal every year in search for adventures and challenges.

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Executive Board and Liaison Officers in Dubai to Discuss the FAI World Air Games

FAI officials gathered in Dubai this week to get to know the members of the Organising Committee, the host city and the competition venues of the FAI World Air Games Dubai 2015. A series of meetings were held where the Executive Board and the FAI World Air Games Experts from the Sports Commissions discussed the key issues pertinent to FAI’s flagship event.

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Winners of the 2014 FAI Awards and FAI-Breitling Award Announced

The FAI has announced the winners of the 2014 FAI Awards and FAI-Breitling Award, celebrating the outstanding dedication and contribution to air sports.Aerobatics pilot Aude Lemordant,
Breitling Youngster Award recipient Ryan Campbell and Dr. John Grubbström

The ceremony took place last night in Pattaya, Thailand, as part of the 108th FAI General Conference which is held today and tomorrow, and hosted by the Royal Aeronautic Sports Association of Thailand (RASAT).

For the first time, live streaming allowed people from all around the world to be in the heart of the event. Judging from the amount of views and comments, this new feature was a complete success. For those who missed it, the replay of the whole ceremony can be watched on the FAI Youtube Channel.

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33rd FAI World Gliding Championships in Leszno, Poland

The pictures of the competition are now available on Flickr !

Spanish FAI Sailplane Grand Prix, Contest Preview

In the beautiful setting of the Valley of Cerdanya in Catalonia The Aeroclub of Sabadell is host to the Spanish FAI Sailplane Grand Prix where 15 top sailplane racing pilots will compete to qualify for the final of the FAI Sailplane Grand Prix series in Varese in 2015.

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33rd FAI World Gliding Championships in Räyskälä, Finland

Check out the event photoset on Flickr !

2014 FAI Qualifying Sailplane GP in Varese - Race report

The Italy Qualifying Sailplane Grand Prix took place in Varese from 14 to 21 June with 18 the competitors from 6 countries : Argentina, Austria, Chech Republic, Germany, Italy, Slovenia.

The opening ceremony was held in the wonderful location of Villa Recalcati , headquarter of the Province of Varese, where thecompetitors enjoyed a nice party at the end of the official briefing.

After a beginning with difficult weather conditions, the meteo has turned to be very good, I would say exceptional for the month of June , and pilots were able to fly even quite long tasks and always at very high speed average.

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Get the Bug for Air Sports with the new FAI Video

The FAI has released a new video featuring all air sports activities under the umbrella of the Federation. The 3-minute film succinctly presents the FAI sports and includes footage of FAI international records from Charles Lindbergh to Felix Baumgartner.

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FAI World Air Games 2015 to be Staged in Dubai

The FAI announced today that the 2015 edition of the FAI World Air Games has been awarded to the United Arab Emirates and will be held in Dubai. This multi-discipline event will be organised by the Emirates Aerosports Federation and will take place over a period of 12 days in December 2015. It is the only world competition that brings together the various different air sports.

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