By Debbie Spaeth, Chair, CIA Public & Media Relations (PMR) Sub-Committee
In December 2020, the International Ballooning Commission (CIA) Bureau announced their decision that the March 2021 CIA Plenary meeting would be conducted via Zoom meetings, certainly not unexpected. Then the meeting mechanisms were put in place, leading to a very successful series of meetings.
The 17th FAI World Paragliding XC Championships was supposed to take part in France, starting May 20. It was cancelled on March 12. Soon after, the CIVL Bureau received a proposal from Loma Bola, Argentina, to organise the championship in November.
The Bureau decided that looking for an alternative to the cancelled event was worthwhile. It made the idea public. The CIVL Bureau then received proposals from Governador Valadores, Brazil, and Roldanillo, Colombia.
FAI has issued a Guidance Protocol for the Organisers of FAI championship events with guidelines to be observed at all times. They have been formulated to ensure that competitors and other attendees to FAI sporting events during the period affected by the Covid-19 virus are offered comprehensive information regarding key Covid related topics, and that appropriate facilities are reported on the championship website and available at the event to resolve all related matters of importance.
The 2021 FAI CIA Hall of Fame inductees were announced during the March 2021 plenary meeting. The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque Balloon Museum, the home of the FAI CIA Hall of Fame, is delighted to announce that Wilhelm Eimers of Germany and Jim Winker of the USA are this year’s inductees. To be inducted into the FAI CIA Hall of Fame is a very high honor in ballooning and the Balloon Museum extends its congratulations to the honorees and their families.
The 5th year Aeronautical Engineering students of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics had the project of designing, building, and flying an aircraft that could take off (and land) from both land and water.
By Ilona Gizatullina (RUS), Member Ground Headquarters and flymonitor.ru Team
Nizhny Novgorod (NN or Nizhny) is a city in central Russia that celebrated its 800th anniversary during 2021. Nizhny is located approx. 403 km. east of Moscow. The city is situated at the confluence of two rivers, Volga and Oka, which is called “Strelka” (The Arrow). This is the main natural attraction in the historical center of Nizhny Novgorod.
On 19 April 1971, 50 years ago, the world’s first space station – Salyut 1 – was launched.
Its debut success for the Soviet Salyut program paved the way for the future of space exploration, allowing astronauts to spend extended periods of time in space and conduct the scientific experiments and make the observations that have shaped human history, as well as breaking numerous space records, all ratified by the FAI.
On 12 April 2021 the FAI is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic orbit around the Earth, for which he achieved three FAI world records and made a lasting impact on human space exploration.
Aerobatic aviation is a developing sport in Argentina with public displays previously limited to air shows, but in 2019 the Argentine Aerobatics Association organised its first national competition. Just one of the pilots was female. Her name is Jenny Dillon: Argentina’s only female pilot with an aerobatic FAI Sporting Licence.
By Marina Posch Kalousdian, President of ADB Brazil – Brazilian Airsport Institute, Hot Air Balloon Pilot
