Fdration Aronautique Internationale The World Air Sports

Federation OFFICIAL HISTORY

From: http://www.fai.org/about/1, accessed by WZ on 13 April 2005.
At the start of the 20th Century, the pioneering flights of pilots such as Clement Ader, the Wright Brothers and
Santos-Dumont, the proliferation of aeronautical competitions, and increasingly rapid technological advances
marked the real birth of the modern aviation era.
A small group of men recognized the growing need for an international federation to coordinate and give
direction to the rapidly growing aeronautical activity.
On 10 June 1905, Count Henri de la Vaulx, Vice President of the Aero Club of France, Major Moedebeck
of the German Airship League and Fernand Jacobs, President of the Aero Club of Belgium, gave a
presentation to the Olympic Congress of Brussels on their proposal for a "Fdration Aronautique
Internationale". The delegates received the idea warmly, and in token of its support the Olympic Congress
adopted the following resolution: "This Congress, recognizing the special importance of aeronautics,
expresses the desire that in each country, there be created an Association for regulating the sport of flying and
that thereafter there be formed a Universal Aeronautical Federation to regulate the various aviation meetings
and advance the science and sport of Aeronautics."
On 12 October 1905, an international aeronautical conference was convened in Paris. After two days of
debate, the representatives of Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the USA
adopted the entire package of proposed Statutes. The Fdration Aronautique Internationale was founded on
14 October 1905. From its inception, the FAI defined its principal aims as being to methodically catalogue the
best performances achieved, so that they be known to everybody; to identify their distinguishing features so
as to permit comparisons to be made; and to verify evidence and thus ensure that record-holders have
undisputed claims to their titles." The statutes also specified that each body holding sporting powers (i.e. the
national members of FAI) should retain full and autonomous control over its own affairs.
Ninety years old, faithful to the decisions of its founding fathers, but also because the principles then
established remain valid, the FAI's Statutes still reflect the objectives defined in 1905.
However, the appearance of new technologies and modern equipment, and the birth of entirely new air sport
disciplines have meant that the FAI's sphere of involvement has broadened - and continues to expand. New
objectives are adopted to reflect developments in society and in the aspirations of those who practice air
sports.
An international, non-profit-making, non-governmental organisation, the FAI's main aim is the development
throughout the world of sport aviation and astronautical activities.
The current statutes describe in detail its specific objectives:

to make evident the essentially international spirit of aeronautics as a powerful instrument for
bringing all people closer in mutual understanding and friendship regardless of political, racial or
religious considerations, thereby helping to create international good will and thus build a better and
more peaceful world;
to bring together the air sports men and women of the world in international competition;
to educate young people through sport in a spirit of mutual understanding and friendship;
to coordinate its Members' separate efforts to further aeronautics and astronautics throughout the
world;
to protect and safeguard the interests of its Members in the use of air space;
to provide a forum for the exchange of information and discussion of mutual problems with other
elements of civil aeronautics.

To fulfill these objectives and meet the needs of each air sport and area of activity, the organisational structure
of FAI continues to evolve. From time to time, new Commissions are created.
At present, the FAI comprises these elements:

The General Conference, the supreme policy-making body, which adopts Statutes and By-laws the foundation stones of the FAI;

The Executive Board, principal executive body of FAI, responsible for implementing the decisions of
General Conference and directing the day-to-day operation of the FAI;
Eleven Air Sport Commissions representing, in addition to the General Commission, all 10 air sport
disciplines under FAI control: ballooning, general aviation, gliding, rotorcraft, parachuting,
aeromodelling, aerobatics, astronautics records, hang-gliding and microlights;
Four Technical Commissions which control non-sporting activities: aerospace education, amateurbuilt aircraft; medico-physiological and environmental matters.