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Why the Czech Raketomodelářský Klub Krupka (RMK) has so many European and World Champions – including in the junior class, by Hans Langenhagen.

The club is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022 and members can look back on a successful half century of rocket model sports. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia separated into two countries, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Factories closed and people had to reorientate themselves in a labour market that was only slowly re-emerging. Many clubs did not survive this process.

FAI has ratified 4 Paragliding records by a young French pilot Timo Leonetti who on August 9, 2022 beat "Distance over a triangular course" of 313,6 km with "Speed over a triangular course of 300 km" with 29,5 km/h and both in World and European category thus superseding Max Pinot's flight of 308,9 km with a speed of 28,6 km/h. We have contacted this 19-year-old pilot to find out more about this flight and his life in paragliding.

How long have you been doing free-flight sport?
I did my first little flight alone almost 12 years ago when I was 8.

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.

The much anticipated 22nd FAI World Rally Flying Championships in South Africa brought together 12 nations to compete in four days of tasks between 13-19 November at Brits Airfield.