FAI News 12/07

World Air Games 2009 : Organiser Agreement Signed / TV Coverage of FAI Championships / FAI Awards for the Year 2006 New World Record Claims / Competition Update

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WORLD AIR GAMES 2009 : ORGANISER AGREEMENT SIGNED


The Organiser Agreement for the World Air Games 2009 in Turin (ITA) has been signed in Paris by FAI President Pierre PORTMANN and Mr. Bruno RAMBAUDI, President of the Turin Organising Committee.

This document lays down in detail the foundations for cooperation between FAI and the Turin Local Organising Committee (LOC) aimed at preparing and conducting the World Air Games 2009 and the Test Events planned for 2008.

Meanwhile, the LOC is refining the overall planning and working structure for the preparation of the Games, and developing the marketing and sponsorship concepts, whilst the FAI Coordinator is dealing with the comments and questions on venues and air sport events that remained open at the end of the bid process. Practical preparations will start with a series of joint working meetings in September.

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TV COVERAGE OF FAI CHAMPIONSHIPS


London-based company Flying Aces, with the support of FAI, is filming a series of major FAI world air sports championships in 2007. The coverage will feature in a television series showing the full range of international air sports.

Developed by Flying Aces and its production partner Pro-Active Television, “AirSports World” will be a 13-part series showcasing the FAI’s major international championships in each air sport in 2007. Air sports covered will include aerobatics, parachuting/skydiving, ballooning, gliding, aeromodelling, hang gliding, and paramotor flying.

The 13 programmes, which are to be broadcast worldwide from late summer 2007, will also feature special reports on world record attempts, air sports athletes, personalities and lifestyles, as well as rounding up the latest air sports news.

FAI is pleased that the public will be able to see our Championships on television, and that such an ambitious television project was undertaken by Flying Aces.

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FAI AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2006


FAI medals and diplomas aim at giving public recognition to those who have made outstanding contribution to aeronautics and astronautics, especially in the field of sporting aviation. They are awarded each year at the Opening Ceremony of the annual FAI General Conference.

The complete list of the award-winners for the year 2006 can be seen at www.fai.org/awards. The next FAI Awards Ceremony will be held on the island of Rhodes in Greece, on Thursday 11 October 2007 in the early evening.

The FAI medal and diploma winners wishing to personally receive their award on stage during the Ceremony are cordially invited to contact their National Aero Club in order to make the necessary registration and arrangements.

Detailed information on the award-winners’ achievements will be published on Internet shortly after the FAI Awards Ceremony.

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NEW WORLD RECORD CLAIMS


New World Record Claims recently received by FAI include claims for Model Aircraft, Microlights, Parachuting, UAVs and Paragliders :


Class F (Model Aircraft) / Claim number : 14739
Sub-class : F8 Open (Aeroplane, Electric motor S, rechargeable sources of current)
Category : F8 Autonomous Flight
Type of record : N°916 - Gain in altitude
Course/location : Taft, CA (USA)
Performance : 1362 m
Pilot : Tower DALE (USA)
Date : 14.07.2007
Current record : no record set yet


Class R (Microlights) / Claims number : 14748 & 14749
Sub-class : RWL2 (Microlights : Weight-shift Control / Landplane / Flown with two persons)
Course/location : Milovice (CZE)
Pilot : Jan BÈM (CZE)
Crew : Jane-Marie BÈM (USA)
Date : 23.07.2007

Claim #14748
Type of record : Altitude
Performance : 6 941 m
Current record : 6 245 m (23.05.1998 - Robert MAIR, GER)

Claim #14749
Type of record : Time to climb to a height of 6 000 m
Performance : 31 min 15 sec
Current record : 42 min 13 sec (15.11.2001 - Gabor GUTI, HUN)


Class G (Parachuting) / Claim number : 14750
Sub-class : G-2 (Group jumps) / General Category / Performance / Team records
Type of record : G-2-e1 (Freeflying, largest head-down formation)
Course/location : Chicago, IL (USA)
Performance : 69 parachutists
Team : International team (to be advised)
Date : 03.08.2007
Current record : 53 parachutists (29.04.2005 - International team)


Class U (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - UAV) / Claims number : 14751 & 14752
Course/location : White Sands Missile Range (USA)
Pilot : Christopher Charles KELLEHER (GBR)
UAV : QinetiQ Zephyr 6-1
Date :31.07.2007

Claim #14751
Type of record : Duration
Performance : 33 h 43 min
Current record : 30 hours 24 min 1 sec (21.03.2001 - Northrop Grumman Ryan Aeronautical Center, USA)

Claim #14752
Sub-class : U-1.b (Remotly controlled UAV : Weight 5 kg to less than 50 kg)
Group 2 : Electric
Type of record : Altitude Performance : 15 975 m
Current record : no record set yet


Class O (Hang Gliders) / Claim number : 14783
Sub-class : O-3 (Paragliders) / Multiplace Category
Type of record : Out-and-return distance
Course/location : Soriska Planina (SLO)
Performance : 160 km
Pilot : Tomaz ERZEN (SLO)
Crew : Tanja KOMPAN (SLO)
Paraglider : Mac Para Pasha 3
Date : 06.08.2007
Current record : 153.9 km (28.05.2005 - Klemen PELJHAN, SLO)


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.

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COMPETITION UPDATE (1st Category Events)


Next Championships :


Aerobatics
16.-28.08.07 : 12th FAI World Glider Aerobatic Championship (AUT)
24.-26.08.07 : 25th FAI World Grand Prix (RUS)


Aeromodelling
19.-26.08.07 : 6th FAI European Radio Controlled F3J Aeromodelling Championship (SVK)
27.08.-01.09.07 : 10th FAI World Free Flight F1E Aeromodelling Championship (ROU)
27.08.-01.09.07 : 2007 FAI European Free Flight F1D Aeromodelling Championship (SRB)
07.-14.09.07 : 11th FAI European Space Modelling Championship (SVK)
29.09.-06.10.07 : 2007 FAI European Electric Flight Aeromodelling Championships (ROU)
30.09.-06.10.07 : 1st FAI Open Asian Space Modelling Championships (KAZ)


Ballooning
16.-23.08.07 : 15th FAI European Hot Air Balloon Championship (GER)
13.-22.09.07 : 51st Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett (BEL)
15.-23.09.07 : 2007 OMV Challenge, World Test Event, Open Austrian National Championship (AUT)


Gliding
02.-19.08.07 : 14th FAI European Gliding Championship (FRA)


Hang Gliding
07.-19.08.07 : 16th FAI World Hang Gliding Championships (USA)


Microlights
18.-25.08.07 : 11th FAI World Classic Classes Microlight Championships (CZE)
01.-09.09.07 : 5th FAI World Paramotor Microlight Championships (CHN)


Parachuting
04.-09.09.07 : 5th FAI European Style & Accuracy Parachuting Championship (CRO)
04.-09.09.07 : 8th World Cup in Canopy Formation (CRO)
04.-09.09.07 : 2nd FAI Junior European Style and Accuracy Parachuting Championship (CRO)