Newsletter Summer 1997
Details for the conference have yet to be finalised, and will be included in the Autumn CIA Newsletter.
Changes like the seasons surround us in the aerostation community. And these, too, are exciting and, for the most part, really beneficial to our international fraternity. The development of the "giant" passenger gas balloons is generating enthusiasm around the world. Not only do they offer the possibility of introducing more people to a tiny bit of the experience of flight, but they will be seen for miles or kilometres around. When operated safely, these gentle giants can promote the sport and tempt people to try a free flight and perhaps become part of the lighter-than-air flying family.
There are elections occurring around the globe and no doubt new faces will bring fresh ideas to various committees or boards. New blood can often bring needed new discussions and directions to any organisation. It's preferable to stay as positive and upbeat as possible during debates and voting. In reality, any political scene, including our Commission, can have bumpy and sometimes uncomfortable moments. However, honestly trying to do one's best is all one can hope for in new or more seasoned volunteers in the political arena.
The State of the Ballooning and Airshipping Nation is one filled with excitement over growth and new concepts in various parts of our world. The first World Air Games in Turkey has many of the world's finest pilots competing and the Turkish Aero Club has now included a "fiesta" component with one-man or "hopper" balloons. The have approved Phil Dunnington of the UK to help get the information out on this fun event. Another first occurred with the highly successful Baltic Cup '97, the first CIA Sanctioned Event in the former Soviet Union. Still other developments are coming later this year with the 8th Ladies World Cup moving to France, and with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race both sanctioned. The 13th World Hot Air Balloon Championship in Saga, Japan is the grand finale with the largest ever field of our top competitors, and with opening and closing ceremonies beyond compare. All these changes are to the credit of the most talented and dedicated volunteer officials, adventurous pilots and crews and highly experienced staff in all corners of the globe who work to improve our sport.
Finally, we have new names and figures in different positions in the FAI Ballooning Commission. On behalf of the international community, I thank Sabu Ichiyoshi (JAP) for his many years of service as Vice President, whether First, Second or Third! I always valued his advice, his wealth of historical information and his honesty. We welcome Darryl Stuart (AUS) as our Second Vice President. Darryl has already proven to be logical, intuitive and a great evaluator of the situation. We deeply missed Alfi Feltes' (LUX) presence with his comforting smile and kind words. We welcome a wise, experienced and most knowledgeable Jean-Claude Weber as the new Delegate from Luxembourg. Alain Poulet joins the French Delegation which consists of many helpful people in a variety of positions. And we also welcome the very experienced Ron Wiseman (USA) who is in line to succeed the inexhaustible Arnost Honig (CZE) as Chairperson of the Observers Subcommittee.
So, like our balloons, we are moving in a variety of directions and at different speeds. And like the seasons, the times are changing, with new growth, new concepts, new firsts and new faces.
The Philippines Ballooning Association will become an FAI Associate Member and replace the suspended body. They report four balloons. No other Members under the agenda item listed ballooning as an activity. There are thirty one countries in the process of gathering information on joining FAI.
The FAI Vice President for Belarus apologized for not being able to attend. In a letter he outlined his difficulties in obtaining a visa from the French authorities. Several of us asked that the FAI President again strongly urge him to attend the General Conference. The FAI has ceased utilizing the London attorneys and are exclusively using the Minsk firm.
In discussions on the "Review Of FAI Finances," the Commissions will be charged 1250 French Francs for the cost of the meeting rooms and services provided in Paris. In informal discussions with the President of the Italian Aero Club, he assured Jacques that they will provide the meeting rooms in Venice. Neil Robertson will have a report elsewhere in the Newsletter.
Relating to Public Relations, the World Air Games will be broadcast live on Eurosport from 4:30 - 6:00 PM daily. This television broadcast reaches 75 million homes with 20 million average viewers daily. BBC 1 is to broadcast live for 20 minutes on 18 September, set tentatively for 1800 GMT. The Turkish Aero Club are still in negotiations with North American networks as well. FAI's magazine, Air Sports International, is going on the Internet starting in January, 1998. The will have 12 issues per year and a special page which will be updated constantly, with championship results, etc. For those not on the Internet yet, the magazine will still be printing one annual 'Year Book' version. And for you coin collectors, the Finnish Mint is doing a complete set of special coins to include ballooning for the World Air Games. Information can be gotten from the FAI. There are over 50 NAC's with over 3400 total people involved in the first World Air Games. Ballooning is one of the highest with 33 NAC's and Rotorcraft the lowest.
An Airspace Working Group will be proposed at the next General Conference. The purpose will be to protect and increase air sport use of the airspace and to work with all authorities to achieve this result. CIA Delegates are urged to advise their NAC's to propose people knowledgeable about balloons and airships for sport, competition and, especially, record setting.
CIA members elected to FAI positions include Dr. Thierry Villey (as a member of the FAI Finance Committee), Mr. Jean-Claude Weber (CASI General Section Review Subcommittee), Kirk S. Thomas (President of the FAI PR Committee) and Jacques W. Soukup (member of the FAI Statutes Committee).
Steve Fossett will hold the Absolute World Distance Record and Absolute World Duration Record in balloons, with a distance of 10,360.6 statute miles and 6 days, 2 hours and 50 minutes flying time. He also broke his own Absolute Distance Record which he had set when he was the first person to fly solo in a balloon across the Pacific Ocean in 1995.
Quite the adventurer, Steve Fossett has also sailed solo across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and is known for his auto racing, running Triathlons, dogsled racing and he has even swam the English Channel (21 miles) and both ways in the Turkish Dardanelles.
Steve Fossett will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the annual Corn Palace Balloon Rally Awards Banquet on Sunday, June 22, 1997 where he will make a short speech.
S.A. Andrée, born in Granna, Sweden in 1854, acquired his interest in ballooning during a visit to Philadelphia, USA in 1867. After making 9 training flights, where he collected meteorological data and conducted scientific experiments, he managed to raise the equivalent of US $5 million for his polar flight with the support of the King of Sweden and Swedish industry.
On July 11, 1897 his balloon Örnen (Eagle) was launched with S.A. Andrée, Nils Strindberg and Knut Fraenkel on board. They flew for 65 hours, 35 minutes before being forced to land on the ice after a flight of 400 km. The three men walked back searching for White Island, where they planned to spend the dark winter, but they died within a few weeks, probably infected by trichinosis after having eaten polar bear meet which had not been sufficiently cooked.
The world knew nothing of their fate until 1930 when Norwegian hunters found the remains of the team on a small island in northern Svalbard. The remains were brought to Sweden and the team's diaries and films were examined and developed.
Salomon August Andrée will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame during the annual Corn Palace Rally Awards Banquet on Sunday, June 22, 1997.
CIA ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNT (1st January to 31st December, 1996)
IN SWISS FRANCS
| INCOME | . | EXPENDITURE | . | . | . |
| DONATIONS | . | OFFICERS EXPENSES | 5811 | . | . |
| Denmark 96 | 100 | PURCHASE OF DIPLOMAS | 1067 | . | . |
| Czech Republic 95/96 | 350 | PURCHASE OF DECALS | 928 | . | . |
| Luxembourg 96 | 122 | PURCHASE OF BADGES | 717 | . | . |
| Virgin Islands 95/96 | 117 | SUNDRIES | . | . | . |
| Belgium 96 | 244 | WAG Dinner, Vienna | 751 | . | . |
| Japan 95 | 488 | Mailfast | 470 | . | . |
| Hungary 96 | 244 | . | . | . | . |
| Sweden 96 | 535 | . | . | . | . |
| . | 2200 | . | . | . | . |
| SANCTION FEES | 4047 | . | . | CASH FLOW | . |
| WAG MAN. FEES | 10569 | . | . | Balance 1/1/96 | 21431 |
| SALES OF BADGES | 1550 | . | . | Income | 19037 |
| SALE OF FLAGS | 30 | . | . | . | 40468 |
| PROTEST FEES | 641 | . | . | Expenditure | -9744 |
| TOTAL INCOME | 19037 | TOTAL EXPENDITURE | 9744 | Balance 31/12/96 | 30724 |
CIA ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNT (1st January to 15th May 1997)
IN SWISS FRANCS
| INCOME | . | EXPENDITURE | . | . | . |
| DONATIONS | . | EXPENSES | . | . | . |
| Virgins Islands 97 | 75 | Robertson, N | 700 | . | |
| Austria 97 | 423 | Honig, A | 592 | . | . |
| Poland 97 | 292 | Purfield, L | 170 | . | . |
| Hungary 97 | 292 | Weber, J-C | 308 | . | . |
| . | 1082 | . | 1770 | . | . |
| SANCTION FEES | 3000 | PURCHASE OF BADGES | 1015 | . | . |
| SALE OF BADGES | 888 | PURCHASE OF TIES | 2037 | . | . |
| WAG MANAGEMENT FEE | 3620 | PURHCASE OF PATCHES | 460 | CASH FLOW | . |
| . | . | RTCA MEMBERSHIP | 137 | Balance 1/1/97 | 30724 |
| . | . | . | . | Income | 8590 |
| . | . | . | . | . | 39314 |
| . | . | . | . | Expenditure | 5419 |
| TOTAL INCOME | 8590 | TOTAL EXPENDITURE | 5419 | Balance 31/5/97 | 33895 |
13th World Hot Air Balloon Championship,
Saga, Japan, 15 - 27 November 1997 (Category 1)
41st Coupe Gordon Bennett,
Warstein, Germany, 6 -12 September 1997 (Category 1)
The America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race,
Albuquerque, USA, 4 - 11 October 1997 (Category 1)
5th Coupe d'Europe and 8th Ladies World Cup,
Mainfonds-Charente, France, 31 July - 3 August 1997 (Premier
Sporting)
3rd World Match Flying Cup,
Mildura, Australia, 28 June - 6
July 1997 (Premier Sporting)
1st Baltic Cup,
Riga, Latvia, 13 - 18 May 1997 (Premier
Sporting)
Banks Open Air,
Lednice, Czech Republic, 24 - 28 September
1997 (Premier Sporting)
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta,
Albuquerque, USA,
4 - 12 October 1997 (Premier Fiesta)
11th European Hot Air Balloon Championships,
Katrineholm,
Sweden, 19 - 27 June 1998 (Category 1)
1st World Team Championship,
Mildura, Australia, 27 June - 5
July 1997 (Category 1)
We are all greatly looking forward to greeting competitors, crews and officials from around the world in Urgup in September.
22b BUREAU
Interpreters for Juries
The Bureau to set up an independent body to study the Interpreters for Jurors issue and call for comments in writing by 1st November 1997. The independent body of 3 members to be selected from volunteers.
23 OBSERVER SUBCOMMITTEE
Observer registration
The Observer Subcommittee were requested to present detailed procedures in writing to the Secretary by 1st November 1997 for the 1998 Plenary on the following:
ii. The registration process will be based upon the recommendation of the Chief Observer of the country in which the Observer resides, and secondarily if there is no Chief Observer existing for the country, then the registration process will be based upon the International Observer Examination.
iii. The pool of registered International Observers will be maintained on a regular basis through input of the Chief Observer from each country, or in the absence of a Chief Observer, the Delegate of that country will be responsible.
Patches
CIA shall supply CIA Logo patches to organisers of CIA Sanctioned Events. For the minimum allowed Sanction fee, 50 patches will be provided. For Sanction fees paid over the minimum amount, the number of patches supplied will be negotiable. These patches are not for re-sale except by CIA.
30 Sporting Badges
The PR and Development SC of the CIA shall make arrangements for design, procurement and delivery of Sporting badges to the NAC or delegated Ballooning Authority concerned.
25 RECORDS REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE
GPS
The Records Review SC were asked to investigate the efficiency of Data Logging GPS.
25 RULES SUBCOMMITTEE
Incompleted Flights
ii. The concept and proposals on Incompleted Flights be further studied by the Statutes, By-Laws and Sporting Code Working Group and report to the Rules Subcommittee by 1st July 1997. The Rules SC in turn to report to the Bureau by 5th August 1997.
Approved Equipment and Limitations
In view of the ongoing effort by the Records Review Subcommittee, the RSC requests a proposal be presented by Records Review to them before 1st November 1997
CIA Scoring Handbook
RSC recommends approval of the information document CIA Competition Operations Handbook,
Draft Version 2.1, effective 8th March 1997, and it be published by FAI as CIA Competition
Operations Handbook. Copies of the draft may be obtained from the Statutes, By-Laws and
Sporting Code Working Group, and will be available on internet later in the year.
30 CIA Recommendations for Long Distance Events or Coupe Gordon Bennett
Safety SC recommendations referred to the AA & AM Working Group to study the wording and decide how to put it into the Sporting Code.
35 EPAS
Outstanding Sanction items
Ensure Sanction fees received for the following 1997 Events: Albuquerque (2); Coupe Gordon Bennett; Banks Open Air; World Championships, Saga.
44 CIA SECRETARY
1998 Conference
CIA Secretary, and possibly the CIA President, to visit proposed location to ensure suitability for CIA Annual Conference and report back to CIA Bureau by end of April, 1997
45 ALL
1998 Conference
ii. For the next CIA Conference (1998) schedule an opportunity prior to the Plenary Session for discussion amongst delegates. Ask Delegates in the CIA Publications up to the official agenda/invitation to submit topics to CIA. CIA to identify 2 - 3 key topics for this discussion. This is a voluntary meeting in a relaxed and not formalised structures. It is the delegates open forum. Given the expected topics to appear this meeting should be facilitated by the PR and Development Subcommittee and the Safety Subcommittee.
The story of ‘Dolly’, the sheep cloned from genetic material taken from an adult animal, illustrated perfectly people’s fear of the future - an anxiety that will probably only get worse as the new millennium approaches. Instead of focusing on the tremendous opportunities for improvements in medical treatments which the new cloning technology may offer, most of the press and media coverage was centred on the risks and ethical dilemmas of human cloning. President Clinton suspended federal funding of human cloning research, a measure which calls to mind the story of the farmer who built a stone wall round his field "for to keep the frost out".
Why do we fear the future? Is it simply that it brings us closer to our rendezvous with destiny, that we are more comfortable with the known than the unknown? Or is it lack of imagination? Whatever the answer, it is clear that we live in an age when only those who innovate survive. Innovation has been described as "creative destruction". Unfortunately, eggs have to be broken to make an omelette.
Here are some of the eggs in the air sports omelette:
Moral: Expect to pay in future for services volunteers provided free in the past. Conscious decisions need to be made in air sports - at local, national and international level - about what roles are given to the remaining volunteers, to part-time consultants and to full-time professionals.
Moral: Start thinking now about how to live without subsidies. Decide what you want your governing bodies to do and find ways of giving them the means to do it.
Moral: You can no longer ignore public relations. The future prosperity of air sports depends on a good public image. We cannot rely on others to create this image for us.
Moral: Let growth, if it is desired and achievable, be a conscious decision, not just a spontaneous happening.
Moral: Don’t assume that things must remain the way the have ‘always been’, ICAO rules are not carved in tablets of stone.
Enough for one omelette. I recommend it as a starter, followed by a perfect cutlet from a cloned sheep.
|
NAME OF DOCUMENT |
VERSION |
EFFECTIVE DATE |
| FAI POLICY DOCUMENTS - MANDATORY | ||
| FAI STATUTES | 96 EDITION | OCT 88 |
| FAI BY-LAWS | 96 EDITION | OCT 88 |
| SPORTING CODE, GENERAL SECTION | 96 EDITION | JAN 96 |
| SPORTING CODE, SECTION 1 | 1/95 | JAN 96 |
| CIA POLICY DOCUMENTS - MANDATORY | ||
| INTERNAL REGULATIONS | 1/95 | MAR 95 |
| AA COMPETITION RULES - FREE GAS BALLOONS | 3/96 | MAR 96 |
| |
1/93 | OCT 93 |
| AM COMPETITION RULES | 3/96 | MAR 96 |
| AX COMPETITION RULES - CATEGORY ONE EVENTS | 3/97 | MAR 97 |
| 4/95 | APR 95 | |
| |
4/95 (DRAFT) | APR 95 |
| |
1/97 (DRAFT) | JUL 97 |
| BX COMPETITION RULES | 3/97 | MAR 97 |
| JURY MEMBERS HANDBOOK | 5/96 | JUN 96 |
| CATEGORY ONE EVENT SANCTION | 5/96 | MAR 96 |
| PREMIER SPORTING EVENT SANCTION | 5/96 | MAR 96 |
| PREMIER FIESTA MEETING SANCTION | 5/96 | MAR 96 |
| CIA ADVISORY DOCUMENTS - RECOMMENDED | ||
| UNIFORM OBSERVER HANDBOOK | 3/95 | MAR 95 |
| SAFETY OFFICER HANDBOOK | 1/96 (draft) | MAR 96 |
| COMPETITIONS OPERATIONS HANDBOOK | V.2/1 (draft) | FEB 97 |
| CIA INFORMATION DOCUMENTS - INFORMAL | ||
| OBSERVERS GLOSSARY | 2/95 | MAR 95 |
| CIA POLICY MANUAL | 3/97 | JUN 97 |
| CALCULATION OF CORRECTED ABSOLUTE ALTITUDE | 2/95 | JUN 95 |
| CIA DIRECTORY | 1997/98 | MAR 97 |
| EVENT SANCTIONS INTRODUCTION | 5/96 | MAR 96 |
| SAFE HANDLING OF PROPANE | 1/96 | MAR 96 |
| HOT AIR AIRSHIP EVENTS - NOTES FOR SCORING OFFICIALS | 1/96 | MAR 96 |
All the above documents are available on disk (MS Word 6.0 except Directory - MS Access 2.0) from the CIA Secretary or the FAI in Paris, or on the FAI Web Pages - http://www.fai.org/ballooning/ where various downloading options are offered.
The Plenary Meeting was attended by 31 voting delegates + 1 proxy, 14 alternates and 24 observers
For those who do not have easy access to the minutes, here are some of the highlights not covered elsewhere in this newsletter.
The Jury Board is to produce a CIA Jury Case History Handbook.
The Observer Subcommittee is to make proposals to set up a registration procedure for International observers.
The Records Review Subcommittee proposed radical changes to the 'around-the-world' rules which would allow passengers to evacuate the balloon during flight.
The Safety Subcommittee proposed the introduction of a new 'Safety Handbook' to replace 'Organising a Safe Balloon Event'.
The Rules Subcommittee proposed approval of a new CIA Information Document - CIA Competition Operations Handbook.
The procedures for the awarding of CIA Badges were agreed.
New rules for Invitation Procedures for Sanctioned Events were approved
Delegates expressed their extreme dissatisfaction with the progress of investigation into the Belarus accident.
Montgolfier Diplomas
FAI Air Sports Medal
Mrs Barbara Butler (ISV) was nominated for the award of an FAI Air Sports Medal.
| President - | Jacques W. SOUKUP (ISV) |
| 1st Vice President - | Hans AKERSTEDT (SWE) |
| 2nd Vice President - | Darryl STUART (AUS) |
| 3rd Vice President - | Mathijs de BRUIJN (NED) |
| Secretary - | Neil ROBERTSON (GBR) |
| Records Review Subcommittee Chairman | Karl STEFAN (USA) |
|
Daniel GRIFFIN (USA) |
| Observer Subcommittee Chairman | Arnost HÖNIG (CZE) |
| PR & Development Subcommittee Co-Chairmen | Kirk Thomas (ISV) Darryl Stuart (AUS) |
|
Neil Robertson (GBR) |
|
Stella Roux Devillas (FRA) |
|
Arthur Westworth (RSA) |
|
Wang Lei (CHN) |
| Rules Subcommittee Chairman | Jean-Claude Weber (LUX) |
|
Les Purfield (GBR) |
|
Mark Sullivan (USA) |
|
Neil Robertson (GBR) |
|
Jean-Claude Weber (LUX) |
|
Masashi Kakuda (JPN) |
| Safety Subcommittee Chairman | Jean Sax (BEL) |
| Jury Board Chairman | Hans Akerstedt (SWE) |
The document is NOT being offered in hard copy format because its size (270 pages) makes the cost of reproduction and mailing prohibitive.
For those who already have a copy of the Policy Manual, the up-date for the 1997 Plenary Minutes is now available in hard copy format or on disk.
All information is believed to be correct at the time of publication, but no responsibility can be taken for any errors, omissions etc
NEIL ROBERTSON, CIA SECRETARY,
COMBE HAY MANOR, BATH BA2 7EG, ENGLAND
Tel: +44 1225 840655, Fax: +44 1225 837212,
E-mail: Neil.Robertson@dial.pipex.com
Thank you for visiting our Web site.
For information and suggestions contact (cia-webinfo@fai.org).