In 2022, France entered pilots into the 21st FAI European Championships in Lithuania, the 37th FAI World Championships in Hungary, The 12th FAI Junior World Championships in the Czech Republic and the 11th FAI Women's World Championships in Great Britain. In the Women’s world gliding competitions in 2022, the French team took a silver, topping this with a team cup gold at the World Championships.
Swiss aeromodeller Andreas Lüthi took a gold medal at the 2022 FAI F4 World Championships For Scale Model Aircraft in Norway with his Bücker Jungmann 1.131E in the F4C category. In this interview he reveals his journey in aeromodelling and shares his thoughts on attracting the next generation to the sport.
Australian aeromodellers David and Melissa Law recently competed in the 2022 FAI F4 Scale World Championships, held in Jarlsberg Airsport Centre, Norway. In the F4H Radio controlled standoff, Melissa gained a gold medal with her Super Decathlon. David, in the F4C Radio controlled scale class gained silver with his Pitts Special.
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.
For someone who holds more records, cups and accolades than most sportspeople, British pilot and adventurer David Hempleman-Adams says that he is more motivated by pushing the limits of the equipment and the team than the prospect of a gleaming medal:
“Records are the last thing you’re looking for… It doesn’t matter if you fail, just get out there!”
When Frenchman Christophe Paysant-Le Roux won the FAI F3A World Championship for Aerobatic Model Aircraft in Italy earlier this year, he became FAI World Champion for the ninth time.
It’s an incredible achievement for this 50-year-old pilot, who has been involved with aeromodelling for pretty much his whole life. But is it still as special the ninth time round? We caught up with Paysant-Le Roux, who lives in Cherbourg in Normandy, to find out.
