Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale

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Abbreviation	FAI
Formation	1905
Type	Sports organisation
Location	Lausanne, Switzerland
President	Dr. John Grubbström
Secretary General	Susanne Schödel
Website	www.fai.org

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI – The World Air Sports Federation, is the world governing body for air sports, aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (such as model aircraft and UAVs). It was founded on 14 October 1905.

History

The FAI was founded at a conference held in Paris 12–14 October 1905, which was organised following a resolution passed by the Olympic Congress held in Brussels on 10 June 1905 calling for the creation of an Association "to regulate the sport of flying, ... the various aviation meetings and advance the science and sport of Aeronautics." The conference was attended by representatives from 8 countries: Belgium (Aero Club Royal de Belgique, founded 1901), France (Aéro-Club de France, 1898), Germany (Deutscher Aero Club e.V.), Great Britain (Royal Aero Club, 1901), Italy (Aero Club d'Italia, 1904), Spain (Real Aero Club de España, 1905), Switzerland (Aero-Club der Schweiz, 1900) and the United States (Aero Club of America, 1905).

Activities

The FAI is the international governing body for the following activities:

• Aerobatics through the FAI Aerobatics Commission ("Commission Internationale de Voltige Aerienne" – CIVA)
• Aeromodelling through the FAI Aeromodelling Commission ("Commission Internationale d'Aero-Modelisme" – CIAM)
• Astronautic Records through the FAI Astronautic Records Commission ("International Astronautic Records Commission – ICARE)
• Ballooning through the FAI Ballooning Commission ("Commission Internationale de l'Aérostation – CIA)
• General aviation through the FAI General Aviation Commission ("General Aviation Commission – GAC)
• Gliding through the FAI Gliding Commission ("International Gliding Commission – IGC")
• Hang gliding & Paragliding through the FAI Hang Gliding & Paragliding Commission ("Commission Internationale de Vol Libre – CIVL)
• Human-powered aircraft through the FAI Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft Commission ("Commission Internationale des Aéronefs de Construction Amateur – CIACA")
• Microlighting and Paramotoring through the FAI Microlight & Paramotor Commission ("Commission Internationale de Microaviation – CIMA)
• Parachuting through the FAI Parachuting Commission ("International Parachuting Commission – IPC )
• Rotorcraft through the FAI Rotorcraft Commission ("Commission Internationale de giraviation – CIG)

The FAI establishes the standards for records in the activities. Where these are air sports, the FAI also oversees international competitions at world and continental levels, and also organizes the World Air Games and FAI World Grand Prix.

Records

1971 USSR commemorative stamp depicting Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal established by FAI

Among the FAI's responsibilities are the verification of record-breaking flights. For a flight to be registered as a "World Record," it has to comply with the FAI's strict rules, which include a proviso that the record must exceed the previous record by a certain percentage. Since the late 1930s, military aircraft have dominated some classes of record for powered aircraft such as speed, distance, payload, and height, though other classes are regularly claimed by civilians.

Some records are claimed by countries as their own, even though their achievements fail to meet FAI standards. These claims are not typically granted the status of official records. For example, Yuri Gagarin earned recognition for the first manned spaceflight, despite failing to meet FAI requirements. The FAI initially did not recognize the achievement because he did not land in his Vostok spacecraft (he ejected from it), but later it recognized that Gagarin was the first human to fly into space. The FAI then established "The Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal", which has been awarded since 1968.

Classes

The following types of craft have records:

• Class A Free Balloons
• Class B Airships
• Class C Aeroplanes
  • Class CS Solar-Powered Aeroplanes
• Class D Gliders & Motorgliders
• Class E Rotorcraft
• Class F Model Aircraft
  • Class F1 – Free flight
  • Class F2 – Control line
  • Class F3 – Radio control
    • F3K - Discus Launch Glider
    • F3F - Slope Soaring
    • Text
  • Class F4 – Scale model aircraft
  • Class F5 – Electrically powered model aircraft
• Class G Parachuting
• Class H Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Aeroplanes
• Class I Manpowered aircraft
• Class K Spacecraft
• Class M Tilt-Wing/Tilt Engine Aircraft
• Class N Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) Aeroplanes
• Class O Hang Gliding & Paragliding
• Class P Aerospacecraft
• Class R Microlights and Paramotors
• Class S Space Models
• Class U Unmanned aerial vehicle

Some of the records

Date	Measurement	Person	Aircraft	Type
Class A: Free balloons
31 March 1999	40.814 km.	Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones	Breitling Orbiter	Distance
4 May 1961	34,668 meters	Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather	Winzen	Absolute altitude
Class C: Aeroplanes
11 February 2006	41,467.53 km	Steve Fossett	Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer	Flight distance record (without refueling)
28 July 1976	3,529.56 km/h	Eldon W. Joersz	Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird	Flight airspeed record
31 August 1977	37,650 m	Alexandr Fedotov	MiG E-266M	Flight altitude record
22 October 1938	17,083 m	Mario Pezzi	Caproni Ca.161	Flight altitude record (piston engine without payload)
Class CS: Solar-Powered Aeroplanes
7 July 2010	9,235 m 26 h 10 m 19 s	André Borschberg	Solar Impulse (Prototype)	Solar powered Duration and Flight altitude record
25 May 2012	1116 km	André Borschberg	Solar Impulse (Prototype)	Solar powered Distance
Class D: Gliders & Motorgliders
29 August 2006	15,460 m	Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson	Glaser-Dirks DG-505M (modified)	Gliding Altitude
21 January 2003	3,008.8 km	Klaus Ohlmann and Karl Rabeder	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4	Gliding Distance
Class E-1: Helicopters
11 August 1986	400.87 km/h	John Trevor Egginton	Westland Lynx G-LYNX (modified)	Speed over a straight 15/25 km course
Class G-2: Parachuting Performance Records
14 October 2012	1357.6 km/h	Felix Baumgartner	Red Bull Stratos	Vertical speed
Class I-C: Manpowered aeroplane
23 April 1988	115.11 km 3h 54mn 59s	Kanellos Kanellopoulos (GR)	MIT Daedalus 88	Human powered Distance and Duration
Class O: Hang Gliding & Paragliding
12 December 2008	501.1 km	Nevil Hullett	Mac Para Magus	Straight distance with a paraglider
Class R: Microlights
14 February 2002	187 km/h	Julian Harris and Bob Sharp	Jabiru Aircraft UL	3 axis flight airspeed record.
17 August 2011	130.3 km	Edina Sz. KOLESZÁR	Dudek Nucleon 23	Distance in a closed circuit with limited fuel

Awards

The FAI Gold Air Medal was established in 1924 and was first awarded in 1925. It is reserved for those who have contributed greatly to the development of aeronautics by their activities, work, achievements, initiative or devotion to the cause of Aviation. The FAI has also awarded the Paul Tissandier Diploma since 1952 to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular.

The FAI also makes awards for each of the following air sports.

• Awards for Ballooning:
  • The Montgolfier Ballooning Diploma
  • The Santos Dumont Gold Airship Medal
• Awards for General Aviation:
  • The Charles Lindbergh General Aviation Diploma
• Awards for Gliding:
  • The Lilienthal Gliding Medal
  • The Pelagia Majewska Gliding Medal
  • The Pirat Gehriger Diploma
• Awards for Rotorcraft:
  • The FAI Gold Rotorcraft Medal
• Awards for Parachuting:
  • The FAI Gold Parachuting Medal
  • The Leonardo da Vinci Parachuting Diploma
  • The Faust Vrancic Medal
• Awards for Aeromodelling:
  • The FAI Aeromodelling Gold Medal
  • The Andrei Tupolev Aeromodelling Medal
  • The Alphonse Penaud Aeromodelling Diploma
  • The Antonov Aeromodelling Diploma
  • The Andrei Tupolev Aeromodelling Diploma
  • The Frank Ehling Diploma
• Awards for Aerobatics:
  • The Leon Biancotto Aerobatics Diploma
• Awards for Astronautics:
  • The Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal
  • The V.M. Komarov Diploma
  • The Korolev Diploma
  • The Odyssey Diploma
• Awards for Hang Gliding:
  • The Pepe Lopes Medal
  • The FAI Hang Gliding Diploma
• Awards for Microlight Aviation:
  • The Colibri Diploma
  • The Ann Welch Diploma
• Awards for Aviation and Space Education:
  • The Nile Gold Medal
• Awards for Amateur-Built Aircraft:
  • The Phoenix Diploma
  • The Phoenix Group Diploma
  • The Henri Mignet Diploma

FAI Young Artists Contest

The FAI Young Artists Contest is an international painting competition for youngsters between the ages of 6 and 17. Each FAI Member Country organises the contest in their country, and the national winners are submitted to the International Jury each year.

Members

Active members

Country	Member name	Year of Affiliation
Albania	Federata Shqiptare E Aeronautikes	2000
Argentina	Confederacion Argentina De Entidades Aerodeportivas	1910
Australia	Australian Sport Aviation Confederation	1948
Austria	Österreichischer Aero Club	1910
Azerbaijan	Azarbaycan Hava Va Ekstremal Idman Növlaci Federasiyasi	2000
Belarus	Belarusian Federation of Air Sports	1994
Belgium	Royal Belgian Aero Club	1905
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Vazduhoplovni Savez Bosne I Hercegovine	1996
Brazil	Comissão de Aerodesporto Brasileira	1919
Bulgaria	Bulgarski Natsionalen Aeroklub	1934
Canada	Aero Club of Canada	1931
Chile	Federacion Aerea De Chile	1921
China	Aero Sports Federation of China	1921
Chinese Taipei	Chinese Taipei Aerosports Federation	1990
Colombia	Federacion Colombiana De Deportes Aereos "Federaeros"	1951
Croatia	Hrvatski Zrakoplovni Savez	1992
Cuba	Aviation Club of Cuba	1927
Cyprus	Kypriaki Aerathlitiki Omospondia	1961
Czech Republic	Aeroklub České Republiky	1920
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	Central Aeronautic Association of D.P.R. Korea	1959
Denmark	Kongelig Dansk Aeroklub	1909
Ecuador	Club De Aeromodelismo Quito	1953
Egypt	Aero Club of Egypt	1911
Estonia	Eesti Lennuspordi Föderatsioon	1938
Finland	Suomen Ilmailuliitto Ry	1921
France	Aero Club de France	1905
Germany	Deutscher Aero Club e.V.	1905
Greece	Elliniki Aerathlitiki Omospondia	1931
Guatemala	Asociacion Guatemalteca De Deportes Aereos	1953
Hong Kong	Hong Kong Aviation Club Ltd	1977
Hungary	Magyar Repülö Szövetség	1910
Iceland	Flugmálafélag Íslands	1937
India	Aero Club of India	1949
Indonesia	Federasi Aero Sport Indonesia	1973
Ireland	National Aero Club of Ireland	1946
Islamic Republic of Iran	Kanoone Havanavardiye Iran	1964
Israel	Aero Club of Israel	1951
Italy	Aero Club D'Italia	1905
Japan	Nippon Koku Kyokai	1919
Jordan	Royal Aerosports Club of Jordan	1980
Kazakhstan	Association of Light Aviation of the Republic of Kazakhstan	1994
Kosovo	Federata Aeronautike e Kosovës	2015
Kuwait	Kuwait Science Club	1972
Latvia	Latvijas Aeroklubs	1938
Lebanon	Aero Club du Liban	1924
Libya	Libyan Airsports Federation	1975
Lithuania	Lietuvos Aeroklubas	1931
Luxembourg	Federation Aeronautique Luxembourgeoise	1929
Malaysia	Persekutuan Sukan Udara Malaysia	1961
Mexico	Federacion Mexicana De Aeronautica, A.C.	1931
Moldova	Federatia De Parapantism Din Republica Moldova	1997
Monaco	Aero Club De Monaco	1947
Mongolia	Mongolian Air Sports Federation	2006
Montenegro	Vazduhoplovni Savez Crne Gore	1922
Morocco	Federation Royale Marocaine De L'Aviation Legere Et Sportive	1952
Mozambique	Aeroclube De Mocambique	1986
Nepal	Nepal Airsports Association	2002
Netherlands	Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging Voor Luchtvaart	1909
New Zealand	Royal New Zealand Aero Club Inc.	1952
Norway	Norges Luftsportforbund	1909
Pakistan	All Pakistan Aero Modelling & Ultralight Asoociation	1955
Peru	Federacion Peruana Aerodeportiva	1925
Philippines	3D Air Sports And Hobbies Asoociation, Incorporated	1965
Poland	Aeroklub Polski	1920
Portugal	Aero Club De Portugal	1913
Qatar	Qatar Air Sports Committee	2002
Republic of Korea	Daehanmingook Hang Gong Hwe	1959
Romania	Federatia Aeronautica Romana	1923
Russia	Federatsia Avtsionnogo Sporta Rossii	1909
San Marino	Federazione Aeronautica Sammarinese	1971
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Aviation Club	1997
Serbia	Vazduhoplovni Savez Srbije	1922
Singapore	Air Sports Federation of Singapore	1984
Slovakia	Slovenský národný aeroklub gen. M.R. Štefánika	1920
Slovenia	Letalska Zveza Slovenija	1992
South Africa	Aero Club of South Africa	1938
Spain	Real FederacIón Aeroáutica Española	1905
Sweden	Svenska Flygsportförbundet	1907
Switzerland	Aero Club Der Schweiz	1905
Thailand	Royal Aeronautics Sports Association of Thailand	1979
The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia	Vozduhoplovna Federacija Na Makedonija	1993
Turkey	Türk Hava Kurumu	1929
Ukraine	Federation of Aeronautical Sports of Ukraine	1992
United Arab Emirates	Emirates Aviation Association	1980
United Kingdom	Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom	1905
United States of America	National Aeronautic Association Of The USA	1905
Uzbekistan	Texnik Va Amaliy Sport Turlari Markazi	1995
Venezuela	Asociacion Venezolana De Los Deportes Aeronauticos (A.V.D.A.)	1952

Associate members

Country	Member Name
Bahrain	Royal Bahrain Parachuting Committee
Brazil	Confederacão Brasileira de Aeromodelismo
Egypt	Egyptian Sport Parachuting And Aeronautics Federation in Parachuting only
Liechtenstein	Modellfluggruppe Liechtenstein Liechtensteinischer Hängegleiter Verband
Mali	Fédération Malienne de Sports Air
Oman	Oman National Free Fall Team
Panama	Asociacion De Paracaidismo Deportivo De Panama
Portugal	Federaçâo Portuguesa De Aeromodelismo Federaçâo Portuguesa De Voo Livre
Qatar	Qatar Aeromodelling Racing Team
Romania	Federatia Romana De Modelism
Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis	St Kitts And Nevis National Parachute Associating
Tunisia	Association Tunisienne Des Sports Aeriens
Uruguay	Centro Uruguayo De Planeadores

Affiliate members

Country	Member Name
-	African Air Sports Federation
-	Arab Air Sports Federation
-	Asiania
-	Colpar
-	Europe Airsports
-	OSTIV
-	Segelflugszene GGMBH

Temporary members

Country	Member name
Armenia	National Committee of Aeromodelling And Spacemodelling Sports
El Salvador	Federacion Salvadoreña De Paracaidismo Y Aerodeportes
Iraq	Al- Sokoor Aero Club
Laos	Lao Airsports Club
Paraguay	Asociacion Paraguaya Paracaidismo Deportivo
Syrian Arab Republic	Syrian Parachute Federation
Vietnam	Hanoi Air Sports Association

Suspended members

Country	Member Name
Armenia	National Committee of Aeromodelling and Spacemodelling Sports
Iraq	Al-Sokoor Aero Club
Libya	Libyan Airsports Federation
Montenegro	Vazduhoplovni Savez Crne Gore
Morocco	Fédération Royale Marocaine de l'Aviation Légère et Sportive
Pakistan	All Pakistan Aero Modelling & Ultralight Association
Paraguay	Asociacion Paraguaya Paracaidismo Deportivo
Uruguay	Centro Uruguayo de Planeadores

See also

• Hot air ballooning

External links

• Official FAI website