CIVL Annual Plenary Meeting
The FAI Hang Gliding & Paragliding Commission (CIVL) held its Annual Plenary Meeting from 20 to 22 February 2004 in Opatija, Croatia. Summary of the most important decisions :

Elections : CIVL President Olivier BURGHELLE was reelected for a further one-year period. CIVL Vice-Presidents are John ALDRIDGE (GBR), Flip KOETSIER (NED), Scott TORKELSEN (DEN) and Jim ZEISET (USA); see the updated list of CIVL Officials & Delegates. 

Future Competitions : CIVL Delegates awarded the organization of several new competitions. The FAI Sporting Calendar for Hang Gliding and Paragliding has been updated accordingly.

New World Championship : the 1st FAI World Hang Gliding and Paragliding Aerobatics Championship will be held in 2006 at Villeneuve (SUI).

Next Plenary Meeting : Guatemala, 18 to 20 February 2005 
 

Naming of FAI Competitions
Following the introduction of the new FAI Strategic Plan, the Executive Board launched in May 2003 a project aimed to "study and evaluate the possibility of including the name of FAI and/or a sponsor's name in the designation of international competitions".

Developed in close cooperation with the FAI Air Sport Commissions, this project has been finalized with the publication of a document entitled "Naming of Competitions - Policy for Air Sport Commissions and Competitions Organisers". The main objectives of this new Policy are to standardize the structure of the names given to FAI-sanctioned Competitions, to guarantee that those Competitions are properly branded, and to allow Title Sponsors to appear in the names of Competitions.
Introduced as per 19 February 2004, the new Policy is fully applicable to new Competitions entered in the FAI Sporting Calendar. 
In order that Competitions held in 2005 (the year of FAI Centenary) and beyond appear under the same image, the Organizers whose Competitions have already been entered in the FAI Sporting Calendar 2005 or 2006 are therefore warmly encouraged to adapt the name of their competitions to the new Policy. Should such a change not be possible, in particular for financial reasons, Competition Organizers are invited to contact FAI at +41.(0)21.345.10.70 or at championship@fai.org.
Adapting the names of competitions taking place in 2004 is not compulsory, but would be highly appreciated.

FAI Sponsorship Strategy
FAI has signed an agreement with the Vert-Pomme S.A. Communication Agency and Sports Marketing Consultants Adrenalink Management. This agreement is aimed at developing a new communication, sponsorship and partnership strategy, allowing sponsors and partners to be associated with the events celebrating the Centenary of FAI in 2005.

FAI Circumnavigator Badge
The Circumnavigator Badge serves to recognize the significant achievements of pilots of powered aircraft making around the World flights. The badge is available with one to four diamonds as follows : Eastbound, Westbound, Polar, Nonstop.

FAI maintains chronological lists, based on the completion date of the flight, of all Badge Holders of each diamond. Please follow the links below to consult those lists :

- List of Eastbound Circumnavigator Badge Holders
- List of Westbound Circumnavigator Badge Holders
- List of Polar Circumnavigator Badge Holders (no holder yet)
- List of Nonstop Circumnavigator Badge Holders (no holder yet)

The rules governing FAI Circumnavigator Badges can be found in Chapter 9 of Section 2 of the FAI Sporting Code.

Pilots who achieved a flight around the World, but who have not yet applied for the FAI Circumnavigation Badge, are kindly invited to submit their Application Form to the FAI Member which issued their FAI Sporting License.

New World Records Claims
FAI has received the following World Record Claims :

Class B - Airships / Claim number : 8731
Size category : BX-04 (Hot-Air Airships : 1 600 to 3 000 m³) 
General Category 
Type of record : Duration 
Course/location : Dmitrov (Russia) 
Performance : 6 hours 4 min 
Pilot : Nikolay GALKIN (Russia) 
Airship : Kubicek AV-1
Date: 20.02.2004
Current record : 5h 6mn 42s (25.01.1992 - Guy MOYANO, Luxemburg)

Class C - Aeroplanes / Claim numbers : 8732 and 8733
Sub-classes : C-1 (Landplanes) and C-1e (Landplanes : take-off weight 3 000 to 6 000 kg)
Group 3 : turbo-jet
Type of records : Speed over a recognised course 
Course/location : Seattle, WA (USA) - Islamabad (Pakistan) 
Performance : 745 km/h 
Pilot : Michael J. MILLER (USA) 
Aircraft : Boeing 777
Date: 14.02.2004
Current records : new

Class E - Rotorcraft / Claim number : 8737
Sub-class : E-3a (Autogyros - Take-off weight less than 500 kg) 
Group 1 : piston engine - General Category 
Type of record : Distance without landing 
Course/location : Little Rock, AR (USA) - Hickory, NC (USA) 
Performance : 993 km 
Pilot : Andrew C. KEECH (USA)
Date: 22.02.2004
Current record : 941.25 km (24.02.2003 - Barry JONES, UK)

The details shown above are provisional. When all the evidence required has been received and checked, the exact figures will be established and the record ratified (if appropriate).

For further information on World Records,
please consult the latest news, including all claims pending ratification, at :
- Rotorcraft World Records 
- General Aviation World Records
- Airships World Records

Lausanne, 1 March 2004