Mary de Klerk had established a career as a dancer and seamstress before a “life-changing” encounter navigated her towards embarking on her pilot’s license and a subsequent career in sports flying, in which she gained many titles before retiring after her bronze medal at the 22nd FAI World Rally Flying Championships.
Jacqueline Cochran was already a highly decorated pilot with numerous speed records to her name when she slid into the cockpit on 18 May 1953 ready for another record attempt.
The aircraft was a Canadian-built F-86 Sabre Mk, loaned to Cochran by the Canadian Air Force. Her goal was a speed record, over a distance of 100km above Rogers Dry Lake, California, USA.
In her autobiography, published in 1987* the famous American pilot recalled her challenge:
At a special ‘Fly Clean’ stand at the recent 4th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships in Slovakia, FAI and the Slovak Anti-Doping Agency (SADA) helped to raise awareness and open discussion about doping-free sport amongst the competitors.
The current average speed record for the fastest non-motorised sport – speed skydiving – sits at an awe-inspiring 529.77 km/h. The record is held by German skydiver Marco Hepp, and was set in October 2022, but a new study into the aerodynamics of the sport may mean that humans could freefall at up to an average speed of 600km/h within the next ten years.
Para-Ski Season 2022/2023 wraps up in APRICA, Sondrio, Italy
Have you never heard of Para-Ski? Here’s a quick explanation:
Sunday 2 April, at the headquarters of the Real Aeroclub de España in Cuatro Vientos, two of the most prestigious medals in sports aviation were awarded: the FAI Silver Medal and the Spanish Olympic Committee Medal. The ceremony, which took place during the monthly exhibition of the Infante de Orleans Foundation, was attended by leaders from the aviation and sporting world, including D. Alejandro Blanco Bravo, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) and D.
At all organisational levels and in nearly all disciplines, recruiting young people into aeromodelling is a difficult undertaking. Clubs, associations and specialist organisations are all committed to rising to the challenge.
At all organisational levels and in nearly all disciplines, recruiting young people into aeromodelling is a difficult undertaking. Clubs, associations and specialist organisations are all committed to rising to the challenge.
Held in Hasle Rüegsau, Switzerland from 15-18 March 2023
By Debbie Spaeth, Chair, CIA Public & Media Relations (PMR) SC
The Blaser Swisslube headquarters in Hasle Rüegsau, Switzerland was the site for the 2023 FAI Ballooning Commission (CIA) Plenary and Subcommittee (SC) meetings. This was the second in-person meeting for the CIA following the CV-19 pandemic in March 2020.
