Fédération Aéronautique Internationale facts for kids
|
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
|
|
 |
|
| Abbreviation | FAI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 14 October 1905 |
| Founded at | Paris, France |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location |
|
|
President
|
David Monks |
|
Secretary General
|
Markus Haggeney |
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), also known as the World Air Sports Federation, is the main group that sets rules for air sports. It also helps define what counts as human spaceflight. FAI was started on October 14, 1905. Its main office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This organization keeps track of world records for many activities in the air. This includes things like hot air ballooning, aeromodeling (model airplanes), and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). They also record flights into space.
Contents
History of FAI
The FAI was created at a meeting in Paris from October 12 to 14, 1905. This meeting happened after the Olympic Congress asked for a group to be made. This new group would "regulate the sport of flying" and help "advance the science and sport of Aeronautics." Representatives from eight countries attended the first meeting. These countries included Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
In 2017, the FAI started a new partnership with a company called Noosphere Ventures. This company became FAI's Global Technical Partner.
In 2022, the FAI stopped pilots from Russia and Belarus from competing in its events. This decision was made because of a conflict involving those countries. This means pilots from these nations cannot take part in any FAI-approved air sports. These sports include paragliding, hang gliding, and paramotoring.
FAI General Conference
The FAI holds a big meeting called the General Conference every year. Important decisions about air sports are made at this conference. The 117th FAI General Conference took place in Dayton, Ohio, USA, in October 2023. The next one, the 118th, will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2024.
Air Sports You Can Do
The FAI oversees 13 different air sports. These sports let people fly in many exciting ways:
- Aeromodelling (flying model aircraft, including space models)
- Amateur-Built & Experimental Aircraft (planes built by hobbyists)
- Ballooning (flying in hot air balloons)
- Drones (racing and flying drones)
- General Aviation (private flying)
- Gliding (flying without an engine)
- Hang Gliding (flying with a fabric wing)
- Microlights and Paramotors (small, light aircraft)
- Paragliding (flying with a parachute-like wing)
- Powered and glider aircraft Aerobatics (performing tricks in the air)
- Rotorcraft (helicopters)
- Parachuting (Skydiving) (jumping from planes)
- Space (activities related to space travel)
How Air Sports Are Managed
The FAI has special groups called Air Sport Commissions. Each commission helps manage a specific air sport. For example, the Aerobatics Commission (CIVA) handles aerobatics. The Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) takes care of model aircraft and drones. These groups set the rules and make sure competitions are fair.
Exciting Air Events
The FAI organizes many cool events and championships around the world. These include:
- World Air Games (a big multi-sport event for air sports)
- World Paragliding Championships
- World Gliding Championships
- World Parachuting Championships
- FAI World Aerobatic Championships
- World Hot Air Ballooning Championships
- FAI World Paramotor Slalom Championships
- World Cup of Indoor Skydiving
- Red Bull Air Race World Championship (a famous air racing series)
The first World Championships for different types of model aircraft started in the 1950s and 1960s. For example, the first F1A, F1B, and F1C model aircraft championships were in 1951.
What FAI Does
The FAI is the main group for many air activities. They set the rules for these sports and make sure they are safe and fair.
- They manage Aerobatics through the CIVA Commission.
- They handle Aeromodeling and drones through the CIAM Commission.
- They oversee Ballooning through the CIA Commission.
- They look after General aviation through the GAC Commission.
- They manage Gliding through the IGC.
- They take care of Hang gliding & Paragliding through the CIVL Commission.
- They work with Human-powered aircraft through the CIACA Commission.
- They manage Microlighting and Paramotoring through the CIMA Commission.
- They oversee Skydiving through the ISC.
- They handle Rotorcraft (helicopters) through the CIG Commission.
The FAI also sets the rules for world records in these activities. They organize international competitions and big events like the World Air Games.
The FAI also holds a conference about drones. This event helps people talk about how drones are used now and how they might be used in the future.
The FAI also keeps track of records set in human spaceflight. They do this through their Astronautic Records Commission (ICARE).
The Kármán Line
The FAI helps define the edge of Earth's atmosphere and where outer space begins. This boundary is called the Karman Line. It is set at an altitude of 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) above Earth's sea level.
World Records
.jpg)
One of the FAI's big jobs is to check and confirm world record flights. For a flight to be a "World Record," it must follow FAI's strict rules. The new record must also be better than the old one by a certain amount. Since the late 1930s, military planes have set many records for speed, distance, and height. However, civilians often set records in other categories.
Sometimes, countries claim records that don't meet FAI standards. These are not usually official FAI records. For example, Yuri Gagarin was the first person to fly into space. But the FAI first didn't recognize his flight because he didn't land inside his Vostok spacecraft. He ejected from it before landing. Later, the FAI decided to recognize Gagarin as the first human in space. They even created the Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal in his honor, which has been given out since 1968.
Types of Aircraft with Records
The FAI keeps records for many different kinds of flying machines:
- Class A: Free Balloons
- Class B: Airships
- Class C: Aeroplanes (including Solar-Powered Aeroplanes)
- Class D: Gliders & Motorgliders
- Class E: Rotorcraft (helicopters)
- Class F: Model Aircraft (like free flight, Control line, radio control, and Drone racing)
- 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 (Model rockets)
- Class U: Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)
Amazing World Records
Here are some incredible records confirmed by the FAI:
| Date | Measurement | Person | Aircraft | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A: Free balloons | ||||
| 31 January 2015 | 160 hours 34 minutes. |  Troy Bradley (United States) Leonid Tyukhtyaev (Russia) |
Two Eagles Balloon | Duration |
| 31 March 1999 | 40,814 km. |  Bertrand Piccard (Switzerland) Brian Jones (Great Britain) |
Breitling Orbiter | Distance |
| Class C: Aeroplanes | ||||
| 28 July 1976 | 3,529.56 km/h | Eldon W. Joersz (United States) |
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird | Flight airspeed record |
| 31 August 1977 | 37,650 m |  Aleksandr Vasilyevich Fedotov (Soviet Union) |
MiG E-266M | Flight altitude record |
| Class CS: Solar-powered aeroplanes | ||||
| 7 July 2010 | 9,235 m 26 h 10 m 19 s |
André Borschberg (Switzerland) |
Solar Impulse (Prototype) | Solar powered Duration and Flight altitude record |
| Class D: Gliders & motorgliders | ||||
| 2 September 2018 | 23,202 m | Tim Gardner (United States) Jim Payne (United States) |
Windward Performance Perlan II | Gliding Altitude |
| Class G-2: Parachuting performance records | ||||
| 14 October 2012 | 1357.6 km/h |  Felix Baumgartner (Austria) |
Red Bull Stratos | Vertical speed |
| Class I-C: Humanpowered aeroplane | ||||
| 23 April 1988 | 115.11 km 3h 54mn 59s |
 Kanellos Kanellopoulos (Greece) |
MIT Daedalus 88 | Human powered Distance and Duration |
| Class U: Unmanned aerial vehicles | ||||
| 14 August 2001 | 96,863 feet (29,524 m) | Piloted remotely by Greg Kendall (United States) |
AeroVironment Helios Prototype | Sustained horizontal flight altitude record by a winged aircraft |
FAI Awards
The FAI gives out many awards to people who have done great things in aviation. The FAI Gold Air Medal was created in 1924. It is given to those who have helped aviation grow a lot through their work or ideas. The Paul Tissandier Diploma has been awarded since 1952. It honors people who have served aviation, especially air sports.
There are also specific awards for each air sport, such as:
- For Ballooning: The Montgolfier Ballooning Diploma
- For Gliding: The Lilienthal Gliding Medal
- For Parachuting: The Leonardo da Vinci Parachuting Diploma
- For Aeromodelling: The FAI Aeromodelling Gold Medal
- For Aerobatics: The Leon Biancotto Aerobatics Diploma
- For Astronautics: The Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal (for space achievements)
- For Hang Gliding: The Pepe Lopes Medal
- For Microlight Aviation: The Colibri Diploma
FAI Young Artists Contest
The FAI also organizes a fun painting competition for young people. It's called the FAI Young Artists Contest. Kids aged 6 to 17 can take part. Each country that is a member of FAI holds its own contest. The winners from each country then compete in the international contest.
See also
- Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
- Hot air ballooning
- List of spaceflight records
Images for kids
-
A robot for kids, related to technology and aviation.
