For over 55 years Derek Piggott has been an inspiration to glider pilots and gliding instructors throughout the world, initiating and developing the detailed craft of gliding instruction - by personal example, lecture tours and over a dozen specialist papers and classic books. His charismatic leadership has greatly improved the safety of gliding and the quality of instructional techniques and methodology. By invitation he has visited many countries whose gliding communities are eager to listen to and learn from his undoubted words of wisdom. With his insatiable appetite for flying, his diverse gliding activities have included flying the replica of the first man carrying glider designed by Sir George Cayley; the Southampton University man-powered aeroplane and all other challenges offered to him. He has flown and evaluated 207 glider types and his comprehensive handling notes have been of great benefit to pilots about to fly types new to them. Although over 84 years old, he still competes in British and American contests with enormous enthusiasm. He has broken a number of British National records, was the winner of the National Aerobatic Championships and numerous regional gliding contests, holds a �Diamond C�. His list of his achievements and lecturing activities throughout the world is quite remarkable. While this citation cannot possibly do justice to Derek Piggott, it demonstrates what a worthy recipient of the Lilienthal Medal he would be and clearly fulfils the requirement of "eminent services to the sport of gliding over a long period of time".
Roland Stuck has rendered outstanding service to the national and international gliding movement for many years. He started his career as a glider pilot in 1973, and has more than 5000 gliding hours in his logbook. He has been a devoted instructor since 1983 and also holds the FAI 1000Km diploma. Nationally, Roland was a member of the FFVV Board for more than 15 years, serving as Vice President from 1995 to 2001. Based near Strasbourg, he has been particularly active in promoting exchanges between young French and German pilots. In 1996, with only a year to go before the Opening, Roland found himself nominated to organise the 25th World Gliding Championships in Saint Auban, a huge, new challenge with a very steep learning curve! Roland also captained the Equipe de France from 2001 to 2004. His commitment has been recognised by the award of the FFVV gold medal. At the international level, Roland Stuck has provided eminent service to the international gliding community over many years, as an FFVV Delegate to the IGC and as an IGC Vice-President. He has been an active member of the Annex A drafting group who standardised the Rules for International Championships. He has also been a Steward or Jury member at many international competitions. But his major accomplishment was to have the courage and initiative to organise and manage the developmental GP race event at Saint Auban in 2003 and the 1st FAI World Sailplane GP Final at Saint Auban in 2005. Roland also was a founder member of the European Gliding Union in 1992 and Secretary of this body for many years before becoming President in 2004. His leadership of the EGU over the past five years, as the European Aviation Safety Agency has harmonised aviation law across Europe, has been truly outstanding. Under his guidance, at a time of enormous change, uncertainty and challenge, EGU has succeeded in forging a common position on regulations among the varied member nations and in preventing too stringent rules being imposed on our sport by EASA. With a tiny handful of expert colleagues he produced results that will benefit, mostly without their either knowing or caring, thousands of pilots all over Europe. There are many fine people in our sport, who lend their passion, their skills and their free time for its advancement and indeed survival. France would feel honoured if FAI/IGC would recognise Roland Stuck as one of the finest by voting him Lillienthal Medal winner.
John Roake started gliding in 1958 and has been the editor of New Zealand�s national gliding magazine for 36 years (1966-2002). In 1974 he and his wife Chris formed the Roake Trust, which provides significant funding for New Zealand pilots to attend World Championships. They have been the providers of the Trust�s capital, which now approaches $100,000. He has been Championship Director for numerous New Zealand National Championships as well as Championship Director for the World Gliding Championships at Omarama in 1995. John�s initiatives saw the first ever use of GPS as a scoring medium at a World Championship in 1995. He managed New Zealand teams at World Championships in Leszno and Chateauroux and has attended World Championships in 1981, 1985, 1991, 1993, and 1997 as a Steward, and in 1999 as a Jury Member.
Over the years he has imported 104 sailplanes into New Zealand and he made 12 PW5�s available for the first World Class Championships in Turkey. John was New Zealand�s delegate to IGC for ten years. He served as a Bureau Member for seven years, including one term as First Vice President. As the Chairman of IGC�s Membership Committee, John produced the FAI/IGC video - Soaring - Your Sport for the New Millennium� in eight languages. Over 31,000 copies have been distributed (as at December 2002). He is currently producing another promotional video for the IGC. John Roake has in excess of 1400 gliding hours and still flies occasionally. He is now serving his second term as President of Gliding New Zealand and has been responsible for a significant refocus on sporting aspects of gliding in New Zealand. As FAI Companion of Honour, he has been recognised by the New Zealand Government for his work in sporting aviation and been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. His dedication to gliding, as a national and international sport, has spanned 44 years. His enthusiasm and energy is boundless and he has been, and is still, involved in a number of significant initiatives that have benefited both New Zealand and the wider international gliding community. As a result John is richly deserving of the award of the Lilienthal Medal for having rendered eminent service to the sport of gliding over a significant period of time.
