Stéphane Desprez, former Competition Director of the 2008 Rugby World Cup in France, has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the FAI – the World Air Sports Federation. He will formally take up his appointment in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 1st February 2010.

In 1811 Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger attempted to cross the river Danube in Ulm (GER), using a self-built hang glider. The attempt ended in failure, but his pioneering efforts are celebrated by the town of Ulm which organises an international flight competition in his honour - the Berblinger Flight Competition 2011.

The Berblinger prize is awarded for special efforts, developments and innovative ideas in the field of general aviation. Previous winners have included a manned, fully solar-powered aircraft which needed no batteries for take off and flight.

The 2009 Plenary meeting of the FAI Amateur Built and Experimental Aircraft Commission was held on 6th April at the Graf Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The subjects under discussion included: electrically and solar powered aeroplanes, preparations for the World Air Games in Turin, Italy starting on 6th June and CIACA awards for 2009. Pierluigi DURANTI (ITA) was returned as CIACA President for 2009/10.

The 20th of April the Delegates from Germany, Norway, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal (missing here), Sweden (directly from S&F), France, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria (from left to right) did meet in Rom for the annual CIACA conference in the rooms of the Italian Aeroclub. Main item, in the long list of points to discuss, where the WAG (World Air Games) 2009.