FAI News 21/04

97th FAI General Conference : Election of the FAI President, of the FAI Executive Board, and establishment of a new Statutes Working Group / New World Record Claims / Championship Results

97th FAI General Conference
During the 97th FAI General Conference recently held at the airport of Madrid Cuatro Vientos, FAI Members elected the new FAI President, the new FAI Executive Board, and established a new Statutes Working Group.

The new FAI President is Mr Pierre Portmann (FRA), formerly President of the FAI's General Aviation Commission and FAI Executive Director Finance.

A keen private pilot and experienced business man of Swiss origin, Mr Portmann has been resident in Paris for many years. He holds several voluntary posts, including Secretary General of the Fédération Française Aéronautique and board member of Europe Airsports, posts in which he has accumulated great experience in defending air sports against excessive regulatory restrictions.

The new FAI Executive Board (members of which do not represent their countries of origin), consists of :

- Mr Alvaro de Orleans-Borbon,
- Mr Robert Clipsham,
- Mr Bengt-Eric Fonsell,
- Mr Hideo Hirasawa,
- Mr Jerzy Makula,
- Mr B.J. Worth.

Biographies of executive directors will be published soon.

A new Statutes Working Group was established by the General Conference, to be chaired by Mr Jean-Claude Weber, President of the FAI Ballooning Commission. Its elected members are Mr René De Monchy, Mr Art Greenfield, Mr Bob Henderson, and Mr Adam Ustinowicz.


New World Record Claims
Some of the new World Record Claims recently received by FAI :

Class B - Airships / Claim number : 9792
Size category : BA-05 (Gas airships : 3 000 to 6 000 m³), General Category
Type of record : Duration
Course/location : Long Beach, CA (USA)
Performance : 24 h 39 min 55 sec
Pilot : Robert C. HARBUCK (USA)
Crew : Doublas McFADDEN (USA)
Airship : American Blimp A-150
Date: 15.09.2004
Current record : 8h 50mn 12s (12.02.1985 - Bryan ALLEN, USA)

Class E - Rotorcraft / Claim number : 9793
Sub-class : E-1c (Helicopters : take-off weight 1000 to 1750 kg)
Group 1 : piston engine, General Category
Type of record : Distance without landing
Course/location : Northam, WA (AUS) - Nullabor, SA (AUS)
Performance : 1 500 km
Pilot : Claude MEUNIER (AUS)
Date: 14.09.2004
Current record : new

Class R - Microlights / Claim number : 9810
Sub-class : RPF1 (Microlights : Paraglider Control / Foot-launched / Flown with one person)
Type of record : Altitude
Course/location : Las Sabinas, Sierra Nevada (ESP)
Performance : 5 912 m
Pilot : Ramon MORILLAS SALMERON (ESP)
Powered Paraglider : Microlight type not indicated
Date: 21.09.2004
Current record : 5 243m (05.10.2002 - Frédéric JACQUES, Monaco)

Class F - Model Aircraft / Claim number : 9857
Sub-class : F5-S (Aeroplane, electric motor, rechargeable sources of current)
Category : F5 - Radio Controlled Flight
Type of record : N°173 - Gain in altitude
Course/location : Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (USA)
Performance : 3 418 m
Aeromodellers : Giorgio AZZALIN (USA)& Simone AZZALIN (USA)
Date: 02.10.2004
Current record : 2'573 m (09.11.2003 - Raymond COOPER, Australia)

Class P - Aerospacecraft / Claims number : 9858 - 9862
Sub-class : P-1 (Suborbital missions), General category
Course/location : Mojave, CA (USA)
Pilot : Michael W. MELVILL (USA)
Aerospacecraft : Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne
Date: 29.09.2004
Current records : new

#9858 / Duration / Performance : 24 min 7 sec
#9859 / Altitude above the earth's surface with or without maneuvres of the aerospacecraft / Performance : 102.932 km
#9860 / Greatest mass lifted to altitude / Performance : 1 417 kg
#9861 / Length travelled along the trajectory from lift-off to touch down / Performance : 32 km
#9862 / Number of people in suborbital flight / Performance : 1

Class P - Aerospacecraft / Claims number : 9881 - 9882
Sub-class : P-1 (Suborbital missions), General category
Course/location : Mojave, CA (USA)
Pilot : Brian BINNIE (USA)
Aerospacecraft : Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne
Date: 04.10.2004
Current records : new

#9881 / Altitude above the earth's surface with or without maneuvres of the aerospacecraft / Performance : 122 km
#9882 / Minimum time between two consecutive flights in a reusable vehicle / Performance : 5 days
Remark : more claims will be published as soon as figures will be known
Links : X-Prize / Scaled Composites

Class G - Parachuting / Claim number : 9879
Sub-class : G-2 (Group jumps) / Competition / Team records
General Category
Type of record : G-2-C - Formation Skydiving, longest sequence (16-Way)
Course/location : 2004 US National Formation Skydiving Championship, Perris, CA (USA)
Performance : 21 formations
Team : Majikalknights (USA)
Date: 08.10.2004
Current record : 19 formations (25.10.2001 - Airspeed Blue Team, USA)

Class C - Aeroplanes / Claim number : 9887
Sub-class : C-1e (Landplanes : take-off weight 3 000 to 6 000 kg)
Group 1 : piston engine
Type of record : Speed over a closed circuit of 100 km without payload
Course/location : Kankakee, IL (USA)
Performance : 596 km/h
Pilot : Michael KEENUM (USA)
Aircraft : Hawker Sea Fury
Date: 04.10.2004
Current record : 408.96 km/h (20.01.1976 - Jack F. CHRYSLER, USA)

Class D - Gliders / Claim number : 9880
Sub-class : DO (Open Class Gliders), General Category
Type of record : Distance using up to 3 turn points
Course/location : Bridge2 Far (South Africa)
Performance : 428.1 km
Pilot : San Te CLOISSEAU (South Africa)
Glider : Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM
Date: 10.10.2004
Current record : new

The details shown above are provisional. When all the evidence required has been received and checked, the exact figures will be established and the record ratified (if appropriate).

For further information on World Records, please consult the latest news, including all claims pending ratification, at FAI World Records.


Championship Results
FAI recently received the following Championship results :

FAI World Gas Balloon Championship
Sport : Ballooning
Date : 8 to 15 September 2004
Location : Bitterfeld (GER)
Final results & pictures

5th FAI World Artistic Skydiving Championships
Sport : Parachuting
Date : 14 to 18 September 2004
Location : Boituva (BRA)
Final results & pictures

3rd FAI Women's World Formation Skydiving Championships,
16th FAI World Formation Skydiving Championships and
11th FAI World Canopy Formation Parachuting Championships
Sport : Parachuting
Date : 18 to 24 September 2004
Location : Rijeka (CRO)
Final results & pictures

8th FAI European Paragliding Championships
Sport : Paragliding
Date : 1 to 12 October 2004
Location : Kalavrita (GRE)
Final results & pictures