This document is divided into two parts:

• the rules for the contest
• an interpretation of the 2004 theme

All Entries Must Be Made To Your Organizing FAI Member Country by their deadline. Click on the above link for the address of your member country.

The Theme for the 2004 Contest will be:

The FAI is particularly concerned with all forms of sporting and recreational aviation, including:

• BALLOONING, GLIDING and PARACHUTING
• AEROBATICS
• HANG - GLIDING and PARAGLIDING
• MICROLIGHT / ULTRALIGHT FLYING
• MODEL AIRCRAFT
• LIGHT AIRCRAFT and HELICOPTER FLYING

FAI Members are responsible for making arrangements in each country for a national competition, or similar process of selection. We recommend that the prizes for winners of national competitions should include visits to sport aviation airports and museums, and if possible flights in light aircraft, gliders or balloons. Each country may submit to FAI a maximum of 9 paintings (3 in each age category).

All entries must be received at the FAI Office by 1st April 2004 at the following address :

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Avenue Mon-Repos 24
CH-1005 Lausanne
Switzerland

Entries will be judged by an International Jury. The winners in each age group will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, together with diplomas. These will be presented at the FAI General Conference in Madrid, Spain, in October 2004. Unless the winners are able to be present in person, the medals and diplomas will be given to the FAI delegates from the countries concerned, who will then be responsible for arranging a suitable occasion for the presentation of the awards.

Entries, once received by FAI will become and remain the property of FAI, which may use them for a variety of purposes. FAI Members are therefore encouraged to make good quality colour copies of their winners' work for public relations purposes before sending the entries to Lausanne.

• Eligibility. All children in the age groups shown below are encouraged to participate in the Contest, even if they are related to officials or employees of the FAI or any of its member organisations. Participation in the National contests is limited to residents of that country.
  
  
• Age Groups. Entries will be judged in 3 classes :
   
  • Group I (Date of birth between January 1st 1994 and December 31st 1997).
  • Group II (Date of birth between January 1st 1990 and December 31st 1993).
  • Group III (Date of birth between January 1st 1986 and December 31st 1989).
     
• Format. The required format is A3 (297 x 420 mm or 11 3/4 X 16 ½ inches) or, if this is unobtainable in your country, the nearest possible equivalent.

  Artwork must not be framed or outlined with borders.

• Medium. All artwork must be done by hand (or, in the case of handicapped children, by foot or mouth). Any of the following media are permitted:
  
  
  • Watercolor
  • Acrylic
  • Oil paint
  • Indelible marker pens
  • Felt-tip pens
  • Soft ball-point pens
  • Indelible ink
  • Crayola, or any similar indelible medium

  The following media are NOT permitted :

  No pencil, charcoal or other non-permanent medium may be used.

  No computer-generated artwork is permitted.

  No collage work involving the use of photocopies is permitted.

• Markings. The following details should be clearly shown on the back of art:
  
  
  • Title
  • Family name
  • Given name
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Country of residence
  • Name and address of school which child attends
  • Certificate of Authenticity
  
  
• Certificate of Authenticity. The Certificate is to be worded as follows:

  "I/We certify that this is the original and unassisted work of ............... (name of entrant)".
  
  We certify that ............... (name of entrant) is a resident of ............... (name of country).
  
  Certificates are to be signed by the entrant's teacher, or other suitable person.

• Address for Entries. All entries are to be sent to the organising authority in each FAI Member country, and not direct to the FAI. Only entries sent by FAI Members, and which arrive in Lausanne by the closing date of 01 April 2004, will be considered by the International Jury.

For More Information, contact the FAI at info@fai.org

The 21st century offers incredible opportunities to travel and live. Sometimes, though, accidents and natural disasters happen. Boats spring leaks, hikers get lost, and people get sick miles, sometimes hundreds of miles, from hospitals. If that wasn’t enough, earthquakes, mudslides, monsoons, and other natural disasters are unavoidable.

Luckily for us, there are all types of aircraft and crews waiting on a moments notice to come to our rescue. Helicopters are used all over the world for medical emergencies. They can do more than move quickly, above the traffic. Get lost hiking? Well, helicopters with infrared equipment can actually see people in the dark based on their body heat. They can also hover, which means they can pick people up by lowering a harness or stretcher without having to land. Add a specially trained crew of men and women who know first aid and you have a first rate rescue system for anyone lost and injured.

It’s not just helicopters, though. Long-range aircraft can search great distances without stopping for incredibly long periods of time by refueling in midair. This comes in handy when someone is lost at sea or stationed in the Antarctic. You may remember that it wasn’t so long ago when special lifesaving equipment was flown half way around the world to save the life of a doctor living at an otherwise unreachable Antarctic base.

It’s not just individuals aided by flight. When natural disasters strike, sometimes transport aircraft are the only way to quickly get large amounts of food, water, and medical supplies to the communities that need them. In addition to supplies, firefighting aircraft put out fires and deliver firefighters to areas your average fire truck cannot get to. People aren’t the only lives aircraft are used to save; though, they are even used to drop food to livestock trapped in snowy mountain passes.

Ever since flight began, aviation has been used to save lives. As aviation technology advances, so does the life saving possibilities of aviation. So, reach into history to capture a rescue from the past or imagine what kind of new rescues the future may bring and share your vision in this year’s art contest: Flying Saves Lives!