The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains world records for aeronautical activities, including ballooning, aeromodeling, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), as well as flights into space.
History The FAI was founded at a conference held in Paris 12–14 October 1905, which was organized following a resolution passed by the Olympic 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." The conference was attended by representatives from 8 countries: Belgium (, founded 1901), France (Aéro-Club de France, 1898), Germany ( aka "German Airship League", founded 1902), Great Britain (Royal Aero Club, 1901), Italy (, 1904), Spain (,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 General Susanne Schödel, FAI President Frits Brink and Noosphere Ventures Managing Partner Max Polyakov signed the agreement, making Noosphere Ventures FAI's Global Technical Partner.
The FAI suspended Russia and Belarus due to the 2022 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 14 FAI air sports disciplines, including paragliding, hang gliding, and paramotoring.FAI SUSPEND RUSSIA AND BELARUS TUESDAY 1 MARCH, 2022 xcmag.com, accessed 19 April 2022
FAI General Conference The 117th FAI General Conference took place in Dayton, Ohio, US (the 'Birthplace of Aviation') on 26 and 27 October 2023.
The 118th FAI General Conference was held from 20 to 21 November 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 119th FAI General Conference was held from 22 to 24 October 2025 in Vantaa, Finland.
The 120th FAI General Conference will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland from 14 to 16 October 2026.
Sports 14 Sports: Aeromodelling (modelling (space modulation) – Space Modelling) Amateur-Built & Experimental Aircraft Ballooning Drones General Aviation Gliding Hang Gliding Microlights and Paramotors Paragliding Powered and glider aircraft Aerobatics Rotorcraft Parachuting (Skydiving) Space Indoor Skydiving (Bodyflight)
Air Sport Commissions General Air Sports (CASI) Aerobatics (CIVA) Aeromodelling (CIAM) Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft (CIACA) Astronautic Records (ICARE) Ballooning (CIA) General Aviation (GAC) Gliding (IGC) Hang Gliding and Paragliding (CIVL) Microlight and Paramotor (CIMA) Rotorcraft (CIG) Skydiving (ISC)
Events
World Air Games World Paragliding Championships World Gliding Championships World Parachuting Championships FAI World Aerobatic Championships World Hot Air Ballooning Championships FAI World Paramotor Slalom Championships 2023 FAI F3P World Championships World Cup of Indoor Skydiving FAI World Grand Prix Red Bull Air Race World Championship Parachuting (Skydiving)
All the events sanctioned by the FAI are listed in its events calendar.
World Championships The year that the first World Championship in each class (see Model aircraft competitions and classes took place are as follows:
1951: F1A, F1B, F1C 1960: F2A, F2B, F2C, F3A 1961: F1D 1970: F4B, F4C 1972: S-classes 1977: F3B 1978: F2D 1985: F3C, F3D 1986: F3E (now: F5B) 1989: F1E 1994: F5D (now F3E) 1998: F3 2010: F6A (WAG) 2010: F6B (WAG) 2010: F6D (WAG) 2011: F3K 2012: F3F 2013: F3N 2013: F3P 2014: F4H 2018: F3U (now renamed to F9U) 2019: F5J 2024: F3M
Activities The FAI is the international governing body for the following activities: Aerobatics through the FAI Aerobatics Commission (Commission Internationale de Voltige Aérienne – CIVA) Aeromodeling and drones through the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (Commission Internationale d'Aéro-Modélisme – CIAM) Ballooning through the FAI Ballooning Commission (Commission Internationale de l'Aérostation – CIA) General aviation through the FAI General Aviation Commission (General Aviation Commission – GAC) Gliding through the FAI Gliding Commission (International Gliding Commission – IGC) Hang gliding & Paragliding through the FAI Hang Gliding & Paragliding Commission (Commission Internationale de Vol Libre – CIVL) Human-powered aircraft through the FAI Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft Commission (Commission Internationale des Aéronefs de Construction Amateur – CIACA) Microlighting and Paramotoring through the FAI Microlight & Paramotor Commission (Commission Internationale de Microaviation – CIMA) Skydiving through the FAI International Skydiving Commission Rotorcraft through the FAI Rotorcraft Commission (Commission Internationale de giraviation – CIG)
The FAI establishes the standards for records in the activities. Where these are air sports, the FAI also oversees international competitions at world and continental levels, and also organizes the World Air Games and FAI 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 in human spaceflight, through the FAI Astronautic Records Commission (International Astronautic Records Commission – ICARE)
Kármán Line definition
The FAI defines the limit between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, the so-called Kármán line, as the altitude of above Earth's sea level.
Records
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 human spaceflight, despite failing to meet FAI requirements. The FAI initially did not recognize the achievement because he did not land in his Vostok 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.
Classes
The following types of craft have records: Class A Free Balloons Class B Airships Class C Aeroplanes Class CS Solar-Powered Aeroplanes Class D Gliders & Motorgliders Class E Rotorcraft Class F Model Aircraft Class F1 – Free flight Class F2 – Control line Class F3 – Radio control F3K – Discus Launch Glider F3F – Slope Soaring Class F4 – Scale model aircraft Class F5 – Electrically powered model aircraftF5 – Electric Flight , FAI Aeromodelling Commission, retrieved 17 February 2022. F5B – Electric powered motor gliders F5D – Electric powered pylon racing model aircraft Class F8 – Autonomous flight (created by CIAM in 2006, later retired) Class F9 – Drone Sports FAI Aeromodelling Commission, Volume F9 Drone Sport 2023 Edition, Effective 1st February 2023 F9A – Drone soccer F9U – Drone racing (ex F3U) Class G Parachuting Class H Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) Aeroplanes Class I Manpowered aircraft Class K Spacecraft Class M Tilt-Wing/Tilt Engine Aircraft Class N Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) Aeroplanes Class O Hang Gliding & Paragliding Class P Aerospacecraft Class R Microlights and Paramotors Class S Space Models (Model rockets) Class U Unmanned aerial vehicles
Selected records Date Measurement Person Aircraft Type Class A: Free balloons 31 January 2015 160 hours 34 minutes. Two Eagles Balloon Duration 31 March 1999 40,814 km. Breitling Orbiter Distance 4 May 1961 34,668 meters Winzen Absolute altitude Class C: Aeroplanes 11 February 2006 41,467.53 km Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer Flight distance record (without refueling) 28 July 1976 3,529.56 km/h Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Flight airspeed record 31 August 1977 37,650 m MiG E-266M Flight altitude record 22 October 1938 17,083 m Caproni Ca.161 Flight altitude record (piston engine without payload) Class CS: Solar-powered aeroplanes 7 July 2010 9,235 m26 h 10 m 19 s Solar Impulse (Prototype) Solar powered Duration and Flight altitude record 25 May 2012 1116 km Solar Impulse (Prototype) Solar powered Distance Class D: Gliders & motorgliders 3 September 2017 15,902 m Windward Performance Perlan II Gliding Altitude 2 September 2018 23,202 m Windward Performance Perlan II Gliding Altitude (to be ratified) 21 January 2003 3,008.8 km Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4 Gliding Distance Class E-1: Helicopters 11 August 1986 400.87 km/h Westland Lynx G-LYNX (modified) Speed over a straight 15/25 km course Class G-2: Parachuting performance records 14 October 2012 1357.6 km/h Red Bull Stratos Vertical speed 8 February 2006 400 Skydivers World Team 5 Lockheed C-130 Largest Skydiving Formation Class I-C: Humanpowered aeroplane 23 April 1988 115.11 km3h 54mn 59s MIT Daedalus 88 Human powered Distance and Duration 2 October 1985 44.32 km/h Musculair II Speed over a closed circuit Class I-E: Humanpowered rotorcraft 25 September 2013 1min 37.5 sec Gamera Duration Class O: Hang Gliding & Paragliding 13 October 2016 564.3.0 km Ozone Enzo 2Ozone Enzo 2Gin Boomerang 10 Straight distance with a paraglider Class R: Microlights 14 February 2002 187 km/h Jabiru Aircraft UL 3 axis flight airspeed record Class U: Unmanned aerial vehicles 14 August 2001 AeroVironment Helios Prototype Sustained horizontal flight altitude record by a winged aircraft
Awards
The FAI 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 the Paul Tissandier Diploma since 1952 to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular.
The FAI also makes awards for each of the following air sports.
Awards for Ballooning: The Montgolfier Ballooning Diploma The Santos Dumont Gold Airship Medal Awards for General Aviation: The Charles Lindbergh General Aviation Diploma Awards for Gliding: The Lilienthal Gliding Medal The Pelagia Majewska Gliding Medal The Pirat Gehriger Diploma Awards for Rotorcraft: The FAI Gold Rotorcraft Medal Awards for Parachuting: The FAI Gold Parachuting Medal The Leonardo da Vinci Parachuting Diploma The Faust Vrancic Medal Awards for Aeromodelling: The FAI Aeromodelling Gold Medal The Andrei Tupolev Aeromodelling Medal The Alphonse Penaud Aeromodelling Diploma The Antonov Aeromodelling Diploma The Andrei Tupolev Aeromodelling Diploma The Frank Ehling Diploma Awards for Aerobatics: The Leon Biancotto Aerobatics Diploma Awards for Astronautics: The Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal The V.M. Komarov Diploma The Korolev Diploma The Odyssey Diploma Awards for Hang Gliding: The Pepe Lopes Medal The FAI Hang Gliding Diploma Awards for Microlight Aviation: The Colibri Diploma The Ann Welch Diploma Awards for Aviation and Space Education: The Nile Gold Medal Awards for Amateur-Built Aircraft: The Phoenix Diploma The Phoenix Group Diploma The Henri Mignet Diploma
FAI Young Artists Contest