The famous faces that have been reflected in the highly polished wood panelling of aerobatics pilot Catherine Maunoury’s office are the stuff of legend. Heroes and heroines of aviation have shared their stories within these walls and as President of the Aéro Club de France, Maunoury has a duty to keep those tales alive, whilst upholding the spirit of progress that the club has embodied since its foundation.
Sunday 2 April, at the headquarters of the Real Aeroclub de España in Cuatro Vientos, two of the most prestigious medals in sports aviation were awarded: the FAI Silver Medal and the Spanish Olympic Committee Medal. The ceremony, which took place during the monthly exhibition of the Infante de Orleans Foundation, was attended by leaders from the aviation and sporting world, including D. Alejandro Blanco Bravo, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) and D.
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.
FAI is in discussion with Hong Kong-based Adventure Air Race Co. Ltd. (WCAR), regarding the development of an air race series to replace the discontinued Red Bull Air Race (RBAR) championship. Adventure Air Race has the endorsement of Red Bull for this project, which will be called the World Championship Air Race.
With air sports suffering during the COVID-19 outbreak, many pilots around the globe have found that practicing their passion has become increasingly difficult or even impossible. Furthermore, many organisers of local and international competitions had to make the decision to either cancel or postpone events. It was the same situation for organisers of Commission Plenaries and the FAI General Conference.
Cástor Fantoba from Spain is an accomplished professional pilot and world-class powered aerobatic pilot, as well as an active official within the FAI Aerobatic Commission.
Born in 1966 in the Spanish region of Navarra, Cástor has dedicated his life to flying for many years. An aeronautical engineer by training, he gained his extensive flying experience in different areas such as aerial advertising, skywriting, crop-dusting and water-bombing.
