TheWorld Air Sports Federation (French:Fédération aéronautique internationale;FAI) is the world governing body forair sports, and also stewards definitions regardinghuman spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered inLausanne, Switzerland.[3] It maintains world records foraeronautical activities, includingballooning,aeromodeling, andunmanned aerial vehicles (drones), as well as flights into space.
The FAI was founded at a conference held in Paris 12–14 October 1905, which was organized following a resolution passed by theOlympic 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."[4] The conference was attended by representatives from 8 countries: Belgium (Aéro Club Royal de Belgique, founded 1901), France (Aéro-Club de France, 1898), Germany (Deutscher Luftschiffer Verband aka "German Airship League", founded 1902), Great Britain (Royal Aero Club, 1901), Italy (Aero Club d'Italia [it], 1904), Spain (Real Aero Club de España [es],1905), Switzerland (Aero-Club der Schweiz, 1900) and the United States (Aero Club of America, 1905).
On 2 February 2017 the FAI announced its new strategic partnership with international asset management firm Noosphere Ventures. FAI Secretary GeneralSusanne Schödel, FAI President Frits Brink and Noosphere Ventures Managing PartnerMax Polyakov signed the agreement, making Noosphere Ventures FAI's Global Technical Partner.[5]
The FAI suspended Russia and Belarus due to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a result of which pilots from Russia and Belarus will not be able to compete in any FAI-sanctioned event in the 13 FAI air sports disciplines, including paragliding, hang gliding, and paramotoring.[6]
Hang gliding &Paragliding through the FAI Hang Gliding & Paragliding Commission (Commission Internationale de Vol Libre – CIVL)[14]
Human-powered aircraft through the FAI Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft Commission (Commission Internationale des Aéronefs de Construction Amateur – CIACA)[15]
Microlighting andParamotoring through the FAI Microlight & Paramotor Commission (Commission Internationale de Microaviation – CIMA)[16]
Rotorcraft through the FAI Rotorcraft Commission (Commission Internationale de giraviation – CIG)[18]
The FAI establishes the standards for records in the activities. Where these areair sports, the FAI also oversees international competitions at world and continental levels, and also organizes theWorld Air Games andFAI World Grand Prix.
The FAI organises the FAI International Drones Conference and Expo. This event offers a platform for organisations, businesses and individuals to discuss how drones are used today and to create a framework for how they will be used and impact on life in the future.
The FAI also keeps records set inhuman spaceflight, through the FAI Astronautic Records Commission (International Astronautic Records Commission – ICARE)[19]
1971USSR commemorative stamp depicting the 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 hisVostok 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.[21]
TheFAI 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 thePaul Tissandier Diploma since 1952 to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular.[21]
The FAI also makes awards for each of the following air sports.
The FAI Young Artists Contest[44] 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.
^Dr. S. Sanz Fernández de Córdoba (24 June 2004)."The 100 km Boundary for Astronautics". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved28 December 2020.
^abc"Awards".FAI. 10 October 2017.Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved11 January 2018.
^"FAI records".FAI.Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved28 December 2020.