What does 2011 hold for Air Sports competitions ?

After a year full of great competitions and fantastic performances in 2010, what can we expect for 2011 ? The answer is “a lot” ! World and Continental Championships, World Cups, almost 40 category 1 events in total will take place next year.

February: first event of an exciting year
The category 1 events will start in February with the 13th FAI World Para-Ski Championships in the Austrian ski resort of Gosau.

May-June: first edition of the FAI Women's World Hot Air Balloon Championship
The competitions will follow each other at a quicker pace in May and June with the 2011 FAI World Championships for Free Flight Model Aircraft (Embalse, Argentina), the first 2011 FAI Women's World Hot Air Balloon Championship (Valmiera, Latvia) and the 6th FAI Women's World Gliding Championship (Arboga, Sweden).

July-August: peak season
July and August will see numerous exciting competitions almost all air sports, the exception being Rotorcraft, where the next event will take place in 2012.

Aerobatics, Aeromodelling, Ballooning, Gliding, General Aviation, Hang Gliding, Paragliding and Parachuting athletes will be competing all around the world, in Europe, Oceania (2011 FAI World Championship for Pylon Racing Model Aircraft in Bundaberg, Australia) and America (2011 FAI World Championship for Aerobatic Model Aircraft in Muncie, USA).

As for the younger air sports athletes, they will fight for victory at the 7th FAI Junior World Gliding Championships (Musbach, Germany), the 2011 FAI Junior European Championships for Free Flight Model Aircraft (Sentjernej, Slovenia), and the 3rd FAI Junior European Style and Accuracy Parachuting Championship (Kikinda, Serbia).

September: 55th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett
September will feature the 2011 FAI World Championship for Soaring Model Aircraft (Lake Xueye, China) and the 17th FAI European Hot Air Balloon Championship (Lleida, Spain).

Another highlight of that month will be the prestigious Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett that will be held in Gap-Tallard, France. As the French team won the Cup in 2009, they have the honour of hosting the race two years later.

October: Israel and South Africa
The competition season will come to end in October with Microlights (13th FAI World Microlight Championship in Ein Yahav, Israel) and General Aviation (2011 FAI World Precision Flying Championship in Brits, South Africa).

To browse all the competitions, including category 2 events, see the Calendar of FAI Events page.