By Marvin Wittschen, Camp Coordinator

From October 30 to November 3, 2024, the skies above Reimlingen, Bavaria, played host to an unforgettable cultural and aerial adventure. The German-French Balloon Kids Camp, supported by the French-German Youth Office (FGYO) and the FAI Ballooning Commission (CIA), brought together 19 young participants aged 8 to 14. Thirteen children came from Germany, while six traveled from France, creating a vibrant and diverse group.

By Volker Löschhorn, Camp Coordinator

FAI extends its heartfelt congratulations the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the occasion of its 80th anniversary.

After his breathtaking performances across the five challenging events of the 2024 season, Swan Versmissen of France has been proclaimed the champion of the inaugural FAI e-Drone Racing World Cup.

We congratulate the winners of the FAI World XC Contest of the season 2023-2024!

Paragliding

In the season 2023-2024, there were 2770 paraglider pilots competing in the FAI World XC contest, still a decrease of 7%. The biggest churn rate was observed in Sport category (up to 12%). But it can be considered as a positive slow-down if compared to 2023 when XC participation dropped by 25% vs 2022. All top-performance flights were carried out in Brazil, but very few exceeded 500 km. The maximum average speed achieved was over 50 km/h.

When an eight-year-old Thomas Schütz built his first aircraft alongside his father, little did he realise that the scene would be reproduced decades into the future, as he stepped into the father's role to help his own children to construct their first models.

Polish gliding legend Sebastian Kawa is the latest recipient of the prestigious FAI Gold Air Medal at the 2024 FAI Awards Ceremony. Attendees at the glittering event, held yesterday as part of the 118th FAI General Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, watched FAI President David Monks and and SAC General Supervisor Dr. Ahmed F. Alfahaid present the award to Kawa in recognition of his great contribution to aeronautics.

The inclusion of air sports in The World Games is of paramount importance to FAI and the broader sporting community. Among the variety of disciplines represented, air sports play a crucial role, and in the next edition in August 2025 in Chengdu, China, Drone Racing will make a welcome return to the programme.