FAI Gliding Commission
Encyclopedia
The International Gliding Commission (IGC) is a leading international governing body for the sport of gliding
.
It is one of several Air Sport Commissions (ASC) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
(FAI), or "World Air Sports Federation". FAI is the world body for sporting aviation and the certification of world records for aeronautics
and astronautics
and was founded in 1905.
When the IGC was founded in 1932, it was called CIVV (Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile) and has also been called CVSM (Commission de Vol Sans Moteur). It is the FAI commission responsible for the international competitions, records and badges that apply to glider
s and motor glider
s. The term "sailplanes" is sometimes used. Hang gliders and paragliders have a separate body called the FAI CIVL Commission, which stands for "Commission Internationale de Vol Libre".
Within FAI, the sport of glider aerobatics is managed by the FAI Aerobatics Commission (CIVA), which stands for "Commission Internationale de Voltige Aérienne" and also deals with powered-aircraft aerobatics
, determined that pilots would be listed as "A" level if they flew a glider for either 300 meters or 30 seconds, and "B" level if they made two flights of 45 seconds in straight lines plus one of 60 seconds in an "S" pattern. (It should be remembered that these flights were made by bungee cord
launches down hillsides.) In time a "C" level, requiring a five minute flight, was added. A few years later Fritz Stamer, chief flight instructor of an early gliding school, designed the gull insignia which were used for these awards and later for the badges.
ISTUS (Internationale Studienkommission für motorlosen Flug), was founded in Frankfurt on 13 June 1930, to record international gliding achievements. The founding nations were Belgium, France, Holland, Hungary, Germany, Italy, and the USA. A series of badges for gliding was devised called A, B, C, D etc.
Later the D badge became known as the Silver C, and more often today just the Silver Badge. Earning the Silver C Badge shows that a glider pilot has achieved an altitude gain of at least 1,000 m, made a five-hour duration flight, and has flown cross-country for a straight-line distance of at least 50 km: these three attainments are usually, but not invariably, achieved in separate flights. The first recipients of the Silver C were Wolf Hirth
and Robert Kronfeld
on 15 February 1931.
In 1932 the FAI recognized gliding, and formed a new section: the Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile (CIVV). This eventually took over the role of ISTUS. The FAI decided that the Silver C was sufficiently meritorious to be internationally recognised, and issued the first 300 before turning the awarding over to the national societies. From the beginning the lesser badges were only recorded by local gliding associations, and their criteria varies, although they are usually integrated into organized training programs. For example, in the United States a Bronze Badge is issued for demonstrated pre-cross country flying skills beyond the C level. In Britain a pilot progresses from the B to the Bronze level and then receives an additional endorsement for cross-country training.
The E badge (later called the Gold C and now usually just the Gold Badge) was established in 1935. A pilot who has completed the Gold Badge has flown 300 km, though not necessarily to a pre-defined goal, gained 3,000 m in height and has made a five hour flight (only one has to be done to count for both the Silver and Gold). Up to this level the badges are registered only by the national gliding associations.
The F Badge (now the Diamond Badge) started in 1949. The Diamond Badge requires three achievements: flying 300 km to a pre-defined goal, going 500 km in one flight (but not necessarily to a pre-defined goal), and gaining 5,000 m in height. Earning all three "diamonds" qualifies the pilot for the FAI registry as a Diamond Badge holder. The FAI also issues a diploma for a flight of 1,000 km and further diplomas for increments of 250 km.
have been combined into four groups: Open, 15 metre, World Class and Ultralight. Although female pilots can claim world records in these general categories, there are also additional records in these categories just for female pilots. Because of the number of records the table below only summarises some of the Open Category gliding records as at the beginning of 2008. A full list is available on the FAI web site.
Note: A flight on 12 January 2011 from Chapelco in Argentina by Klaus Ohlmann in a Nimbus 4DM over a triangular course of 1756.1km at 125km/h has been submitted for ratification.
for approved flight recorders. The IGC-approved flight recorders provide precise evidence of position for competitions, world records and FAI awards and other activities. The replace earlier methods of observation that used photographic evidence or ground-based observers to record aircraft position. The IGC-approved recorders include a pressure altitude sensor and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. They also include data output in a standard ASCII-based format, the "IGC flight data format". This format is used in files with the suffix "IGC" that is specified in detail in Appendix 1 of the document "Specification for IGC-approved GNSS Flight Recorders" that is available on the IGC GNSS web site. It should also be mentioned that organisations outside IGC also use IGC-approved flight recorders and the IGC flight data file format.
In IGC-approved recorders, GNSS and pressure altitude data is continuously recorded during flight in the form of regular fixes stored in non-volatile memory
inside the recorder. Typical fix intervals, set by the pilot before flight, are between 5 and 15 seconds for "cruising" flight between turn points, and between 1 and 2 seconds at or near turn points or other points of interest.
The pressure altitude system in an approved recorder has the same function as a barograph
and must be calibrated to the ICAO ISA (International Civil Aviation Organisation International Standard Atmosphere). Re-calibrations to check any errors from the ICAO ISA are carried out at regular intervals in the same way as an analogue barograph that uses an aneroid pressure sensor rather than an electronic pressure transducer. Recorded GNSS fix data replaces the need for photography to certify the track over ground and in particular whether a particular turn points has been reached. GNSS altitude data can be compared after flight with the pressure altitude data from the independent sensor in the recorder and this is a valuable check that both systems are working correctly.
In March 1995, the IGC created their "GNSS FR Approval Committee" (IGC GFAC) to test recorders for compliance with the Commission's rules, the FAI Sporting Code Section 3 (Gliders and Motor Gliders). GFAC also issues IGC-approval documents for approved types of recorder and these documents are posted on the IGC GNSS web site.
For IGC-approval, the recorder design includes adding a security code to the downloaded file of flight data. This code and the file data itself can be checked ("validated") at any time later using a validation program originating from the recorder manufacturer that is posted on the IGC GNSS web site for general use. This validation program checks three things. (1) That the file has properly originated from an approved type of recorder, (2) That the recorder has not been altered from its IGC-approved state, (3) That the data in the downloaded file that is being validated is identical to when it was originally downloaded form the recorder. This allows the data to be used for the validation of flight performances up to and including world records.
There are three levels of IGC-approval and at the higher levels a public/private key encryption system such as RSA or equivalent is used to achieve the validation process above. Recorders at the higher approval levels also have a security device such as a microswitch that operates if the recorder is opened. This enables unauthorised modification to the recorder to be detected and protects the integrity of its output data.
(OSTIV) which facilitates contact between glider manufacturers and pilots to share experience and opinion
The Lilienthal Medal was instituted in 1938 "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of gliding over a long period of time". The first recepiant was Tadeusz Gora
in recognition of the his 577.8KM flight. Its recipients include:
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
.
It is one of several Air Sport Commissions (ASC) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
(FAI), or "World Air Sports Federation". FAI is the world body for sporting aviation and the certification of world records for aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
and astronautics
Astronautics
Astronautics, and related astronautical engineering, is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of space flight....
and was founded in 1905.
When the IGC was founded in 1932, it was called CIVV (Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile) and has also been called CVSM (Commission de Vol Sans Moteur). It is the FAI commission responsible for the international competitions, records and badges that apply to glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
s and motor glider
Motor glider
A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: A fixed wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion ,...
s. The term "sailplanes" is sometimes used. Hang gliders and paragliders have a separate body called the FAI CIVL Commission, which stands for "Commission Internationale de Vol Libre".
Within FAI, the sport of glider aerobatics is managed by the FAI Aerobatics Commission (CIVA), which stands for "Commission Internationale de Voltige Aérienne" and also deals with powered-aircraft aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
Badges
In the early 1920s two flying organizations, the Association of the German Model and Gliding Clubs, and the Rhön Soaring AssociationRhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft
The Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft or Rhön-Rossitten Society was a German gliding organization, the first one in the world that was officially recognised...
, determined that pilots would be listed as "A" level if they flew a glider for either 300 meters or 30 seconds, and "B" level if they made two flights of 45 seconds in straight lines plus one of 60 seconds in an "S" pattern. (It should be remembered that these flights were made by bungee cord
Bungee cord
A bungee cord , also known as a shock cord, is an elastic cord composed of one or more elastic strands forming a core, usually covered in a woven cotton or polypropylene sheath...
launches down hillsides.) In time a "C" level, requiring a five minute flight, was added. A few years later Fritz Stamer, chief flight instructor of an early gliding school, designed the gull insignia which were used for these awards and later for the badges.
ISTUS (Internationale Studienkommission für motorlosen Flug), was founded in Frankfurt on 13 June 1930, to record international gliding achievements. The founding nations were Belgium, France, Holland, Hungary, Germany, Italy, and the USA. A series of badges for gliding was devised called A, B, C, D etc.
Later the D badge became known as the Silver C, and more often today just the Silver Badge. Earning the Silver C Badge shows that a glider pilot has achieved an altitude gain of at least 1,000 m, made a five-hour duration flight, and has flown cross-country for a straight-line distance of at least 50 km: these three attainments are usually, but not invariably, achieved in separate flights. The first recipients of the Silver C were Wolf Hirth
Wolf Hirth
Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer....
and Robert Kronfeld
Robert Kronfeld
Squadron Leader Robert Kronfeld, AFC, was an Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer of the 1920s and 30s. He became a British subject and an RAF test pilot...
on 15 February 1931.
In 1932 the FAI recognized gliding, and formed a new section: the Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile (CIVV). This eventually took over the role of ISTUS. The FAI decided that the Silver C was sufficiently meritorious to be internationally recognised, and issued the first 300 before turning the awarding over to the national societies. From the beginning the lesser badges were only recorded by local gliding associations, and their criteria varies, although they are usually integrated into organized training programs. For example, in the United States a Bronze Badge is issued for demonstrated pre-cross country flying skills beyond the C level. In Britain a pilot progresses from the B to the Bronze level and then receives an additional endorsement for cross-country training.
The E badge (later called the Gold C and now usually just the Gold Badge) was established in 1935. A pilot who has completed the Gold Badge has flown 300 km, though not necessarily to a pre-defined goal, gained 3,000 m in height and has made a five hour flight (only one has to be done to count for both the Silver and Gold). Up to this level the badges are registered only by the national gliding associations.
The F Badge (now the Diamond Badge) started in 1949. The Diamond Badge requires three achievements: flying 300 km to a pre-defined goal, going 500 km in one flight (but not necessarily to a pre-defined goal), and gaining 5,000 m in height. Earning all three "diamonds" qualifies the pilot for the FAI registry as a Diamond Badge holder. The FAI also issues a diploma for a flight of 1,000 km and further diplomas for increments of 250 km.
Gliding records
The wide variety of records have been defined by the FAI Gliding Commission. The classes of gliderGlider Competition Classes
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports...
have been combined into four groups: Open, 15 metre, World Class and Ultralight. Although female pilots can claim world records in these general categories, there are also additional records in these categories just for female pilots. Because of the number of records the table below only summarises some of the Open Category gliding records as at the beginning of 2008. A full list is available on the FAI web site.
Open class records
| Category | Record | Date | Pilot | Crew | Place | Glider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free distance | km | 04/12/2004 | Terrence Delore New Zealand |
Steve Fossett Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...  United States |
El Calafate El Calafate - Population :In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted . This represents a 20.1% increase compared with the 1991 census. However, due to the expansion of tourism, the population was estimated at 8,000 people in 2005.- Wildlife :... Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
Schleicher ASH 25 Mi |
| Free out-and-return-distance | km | 02/12/2003 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4...  Germany |
Chapelco Chapelco Chapelco, or Cerro Chapelco, is a mountain and mountain mazice in Neuquen Province, south-western Argentina. The mountain has a ski center located 18 kilometres from the tourist centre of San Martín de los Andes city.- External links :*... Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 is a family of high-performance FAI Open Class gliders designed by Klaus Holighaus and manufactured by Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH in Kirchheim, Germany... |
|
| Free distance using up to 3 turn points | km | 21/01/2003 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... Germany |
Chapelco Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM | |
| Distance using up to 3 turn points | km (to be ratified) | 13/12/2009 | Terrence Delore New Zealand |
John Kokshoorn New Zealand |
Omarama Omarama Omarama is a small township at the junction of State Highways 8 and 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. Omarama is in the Waitaki District, in the historic Province of Otago... New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Schleicher ASH 25 |
| Distance over a triangular course (see below) | km | 23/11/2006 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... Germany |
Herbert Pirker  Austria |
Zapala Zapala Zapala is a city in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the .The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincial roads, on a route to the Andes and Chile... Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM |
| Speed over a triangular course of 100 km | km/h | 18/12/2006 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... Germany |
Esteban Fechino  Argentina |
Zapala Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM |
| Speed over a triangular course of 300 km | km/h | 21/11/2005 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... Germany |
Chos Malal Chos Malal Chos Malal from Mapudungun is the capital city of the Chos Malal Department located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- History :... Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM | |
| Speed over a triangular course of 500 km | km/h | 23/11/2005 | Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann Klaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4... Germany |
Kathrin Woetzel Germany |
Chos Malal Argentina |
Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4 DM |
| Absolute Altitude | m | 29/08/2006 | Steve Fossett Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon... United States |
Einar Enevoldson United States |
El_Calafate Argentina |
Glaser-Dirks DG-500 Glaser-Dirks DG-500 |-References:*... |
| Gain of Height | m | 25/02/1961 | Paul F. Bikle United States |
Fox Airport, Lancaster Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley... , CA California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... USA |
Schweizer SGS 1-23 E |
Note: A flight on 12 January 2011 from Chapelco in Argentina by Klaus Ohlmann in a Nimbus 4DM over a triangular course of 1756.1km at 125km/h has been submitted for ratification.
Discontinued records
| Class | Category | Record | Date | Pilot | Crew | Place | Glider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single seat | Duration | 56h 15mn | 02/04/1952 | Charles Atger  Early Modern France |
Romanin-les-Alpilles Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:... France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Arsenal Air 100 | |
GNSS flight recorders
With the advent of satellite navigation equipment at an affordable price, the International Gliding Commission of FAI developed a technical specificationfor approved flight recorders. The IGC-approved flight recorders provide precise evidence of position for competitions, world records and FAI awards and other activities. The replace earlier methods of observation that used photographic evidence or ground-based observers to record aircraft position. The IGC-approved recorders include a pressure altitude sensor and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. They also include data output in a standard ASCII-based format, the "IGC flight data format". This format is used in files with the suffix "IGC" that is specified in detail in Appendix 1 of the document "Specification for IGC-approved GNSS Flight Recorders" that is available on the IGC GNSS web site. It should also be mentioned that organisations outside IGC also use IGC-approved flight recorders and the IGC flight data file format.
In IGC-approved recorders, GNSS and pressure altitude data is continuously recorded during flight in the form of regular fixes stored in non-volatile memory
Non-volatile memory
Non-volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, NVM or non-volatile storage, in the most basic sense, is computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered. Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory, flash memory, ferroelectric RAM, most types of magnetic computer...
inside the recorder. Typical fix intervals, set by the pilot before flight, are between 5 and 15 seconds for "cruising" flight between turn points, and between 1 and 2 seconds at or near turn points or other points of interest.
The pressure altitude system in an approved recorder has the same function as a barograph
Barograph
A barograph is a recording aneroid barometer. It produces a paper or foil chart called a barogram that records the barometric pressure over time....
and must be calibrated to the ICAO ISA (International Civil Aviation Organisation International Standard Atmosphere). Re-calibrations to check any errors from the ICAO ISA are carried out at regular intervals in the same way as an analogue barograph that uses an aneroid pressure sensor rather than an electronic pressure transducer. Recorded GNSS fix data replaces the need for photography to certify the track over ground and in particular whether a particular turn points has been reached. GNSS altitude data can be compared after flight with the pressure altitude data from the independent sensor in the recorder and this is a valuable check that both systems are working correctly.
In March 1995, the IGC created their "GNSS FR Approval Committee" (IGC GFAC) to test recorders for compliance with the Commission's rules, the FAI Sporting Code Section 3 (Gliders and Motor Gliders). GFAC also issues IGC-approval documents for approved types of recorder and these documents are posted on the IGC GNSS web site.
For IGC-approval, the recorder design includes adding a security code to the downloaded file of flight data. This code and the file data itself can be checked ("validated") at any time later using a validation program originating from the recorder manufacturer that is posted on the IGC GNSS web site for general use. This validation program checks three things. (1) That the file has properly originated from an approved type of recorder, (2) That the recorder has not been altered from its IGC-approved state, (3) That the data in the downloaded file that is being validated is identical to when it was originally downloaded form the recorder. This allows the data to be used for the validation of flight performances up to and including world records.
There are three levels of IGC-approval and at the higher levels a public/private key encryption system such as RSA or equivalent is used to achieve the validation process above. Recorders at the higher approval levels also have a security device such as a microswitch that operates if the recorder is opened. This enables unauthorised modification to the recorder to be detected and protects the integrity of its output data.
OSTIV
An associated body is Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à VoileOrganisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile
Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile is a body associated with the FAI Gliding Commission . The FAI IGC oversees the sport of gliding worldwide and is a department of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ....
(OSTIV) which facilitates contact between glider manufacturers and pilots to share experience and opinion
Awards
The Commission makes awards for great achievements and meritorious service. For gliding it presents:- The Lilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938 in honor of Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of human aviation. It aims "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of...
- Pelagia Majewska Gliding Medal (for female pilots)
- The Pirat Gehriger Diploma (for services to international gliding)
The Lilienthal Medal was instituted in 1938 "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of gliding over a long period of time". The first recepiant was Tadeusz Gora
Tadeusz Góra
Tadeusz Góra was a Polish glider and military pilot. Born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary he was the first winner of the Lilienthal Gliding Medal in the world for his record-breaking 577.8-kilometer flight on May 18, 1938, glider PWS-101 from Bezmiechowa to Soleczniki .For this he was the first...
in recognition of the his 577.8KM flight. Its recipients include:
- Paul BiklePaul BiklePaul F. Bikle Director of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Facility from 1959 until 1971, and author of more than 40 technical publications, has been associated with major aeronautical research programs including the supersonic X-15 rocket plane, and...
- Anne BurnsAnne BurnsAnne Burns was a British aeronautical engineer and glider pilot.-Early life:Anne Pellew was born in Haworth, Yorkshire...
- Janusz CentkaJanusz CentkaJanusz Centka is a Polish glider pilot who has won two European and three World Gliding Championships.In 2002 he established a world record in speed over a triangular course of 1000km in the 15m class in a SZD 56 Diana from Ely, Nevada ....
- Tadeusz GoraTadeusz GóraTadeusz Góra was a Polish glider and military pilot. Born in Kraków, Austria-Hungary he was the first winner of the Lilienthal Gliding Medal in the world for his record-breaking 577.8-kilometer flight on May 18, 1938, glider PWS-101 from Bezmiechowa to Soleczniki .For this he was the first...
- Hans-Werner GrosseHans-Werner GrosseHans-Werner Grosse is a German glider pilot who has established 46 world records approved by FAI Gliding Commission....
- Wolf HirthWolf HirthWolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer....
- Paul MacCreadyPaul MacCreadyPaul B. MacCready, Jr. was an American aeronautical engineer. He was the founder of AeroVironment and the designer of the human-powered aircraft that won the Kremer prize...
- Edward MakulaEdward MakulaEdward Makula was a Polish glider pilot and engineer.He won the 1963 World Gliding Championships in Junin in a SZD-19 Zefir 2 and established 7 world records....
- George B. Moffat, Jr.George B. Moffat, Jr.George B. Moffat, Jr is an author, twice world champion glider pilot, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He began flying airplanes in 1953, gliders in 1959, entered his first national soaring competition in 1962, and was still an active competition pilot as of 2008...
- Klaus OhlmannKlaus OhlmannKlaus Ohlmann, born 1952 in Neustadt, Germany is a German glider pilot who has established 36 world records approved by FAI. Among these is the record for a free distance flight with up to 3 turn-points by flying 3,009 km from Chapelco Airport at San Martín de los Andes in a Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 4...
- Derek PiggottDerek PiggottAlan Derek Piggott MBE is one of Britain's best known glider pilots and instructors. His flying career has been long and varied. He first flew in an Avro 504 as a passenger at the age of four...
- Helmut ReichmannHelmut ReichmannProfessor Dr. Helmut Reichmann was a German glider pilot, thrice Gliding World Champion and co-founder, with millionaire Barron Hilton, of the Barron Hilton Cup...
- Ingo RennerIngo RennerIngo Renner OAM is an Australian glider pilot who has won the World Gliding Championships four times.He started gliding in 1954 at the LSV Hude of which he is now an honorary member. In 1967 he moved to Australia and was granted Australian citizenship in 1971...
- Richard SchrederRichard SchrederRichard E. Schreder was an American naval aviator and sailplane developer, responsible for design and development of the HP/RS-series kit sailplanes marketed from 1962 until about 1982...
- Ann WelchAnn WelchAnn Courtenay Welch OBE, née Edmonds, was a pilot who received the Gold Air Medal from Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for her contributions to the development of four air sports - gliding, hang gliding, paragliding and microlight flying.As a child, Ann Welch kept a diary listing every...
- Philip WillsPhilip WillsPhilip Aubrey Wills CBE was a pioneering British glider pilot.-Early years:Philip Wills was from a wealthy family, and at the age of 21 he was able to buy his first aircraft, a de Havilland DH.60 Moth. On 20 January 1929 he was badly injured when his Moth crashed at Duxford Aerodrome, in which...