FAI Gliding Commission

The International Gliding Commission (IGC) is the group that helps govern the sport of gliding all around the world. It is made up of people from different countries who come together to make decisions about gliding. The IGC is part of a bigger group called the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which is the main organization for air sports and keeps track of world records in aeronautics and astronautics. The FAI was started way back in 1905.

The IGC began in 1932 and was first called CIVV (Commission Internationale de Vol à Voile). Over time, it has also been known as CVSM (Commission de Vol Sans Moteur). This group takes care of important things for gliding, like organizing big competitions, keeping track of records, and giving out special awards for glider and motor glider flying. Sometimes people use the word “sailplanes” to talk about these kinds of planes. Other types of flying like hang gliding and paragliding have their own group called the FAI CIVL Commission.

Every couple of years, the FAI Gliding Commission works with a country hosting the event to organize the World Gliding Championships. In the world of FAI, there is also a group called the FAI Aerobatics Commission (CIVA) that looks after glider aerobatics as well as aerobatics for planes with engines.

Badges

In the early 1920s, two flying groups set up levels for glider pilots. Pilots could earn an "A" level by flying a glider for 300 meters or 30 seconds, and a "B" level by completing two flights of 45 seconds in straight lines and one of 60 seconds in an "S" shape. Later, a "C" level was added for a five-minute flight. A special symbol was created for these awards.

In 1930, a group called ISTUS was started to record international gliding achievements. They created a series of badges for pilots who flew alone, called A, B, C, D, and so on. The D badge later became known as the Silver Badge. Earning this badge meant a pilot had reached an altitude of at least 1,000 meters, completed a five-hour flight, and flown a straight distance of at least 50 kilometers. The first people to receive the Silver Badge were Wolf Hirth and Robert Kronfeld in 1931.

In 1932, the FAI, or World Air Sports Federation, began recognizing gliding and formed a new group for it. They agreed that the Silver Badge was important enough to be recognized worldwide and began issuing the first 300 badges. Smaller badges were recorded by local gliding groups, with different rules in different places. For example, in the United States, a Bronze Badge is given for skills beyond the C level, while in Britain, pilots move from the B level to Bronze and then get extra training for cross-country flying.

The Gold Badge was created in 1935. To earn it, a pilot needed to fly 300 kilometers, reach an altitude of 3,000 meters, and complete a five-hour flight. The Diamond Badge began in 1949. To get this, a pilot had to fly 300 kilometers to a specific goal, 500 kilometers in one flight, and reach an altitude of 5,000 meters. Over 7,600 people have earned the Diamond Badge. The FAI also gives out special diplomas for very long flights, such as 750 kilometers and more.

Gliding records

The FAI Gliding Commission has set many records for gliding. Gliders are grouped into four types: Open, 15 metre, World Class, and Ultralight. Women pilots can also set records in these groups, just for themselves. The table below shows some of the Open Category records from early 2008. You can find more records on the FAI website.

Main article: classes of glider

Category	Record	Date	Pilot	Crew	Place	Glider
Free distance	2,192.9 km	2004-12-04	Terrence Delore NZL	Steve Fossett  USA	El Calafate Argentina	Schleicher ASH 25 Mi
Free out-and-return-distance	2,247 km	2003-12-03	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany		Chapelco Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Free distance using up to 3 turn points	3,009 km	2003-01-21	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany		Chapelco Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Distance using up to 3 turn points	2,643.2 km	2009-12-28	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany	Sidonie Ohlmann  France	Chapelco Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Distance over a triangular course (see below)	1,750.6 km	2011-01-12	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany	Anssi Soila Finland	Chapelco Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Speed over a triangular course of 100 km	289.4 km/h	2006-12-18	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany	Esteban Fechino Argentina	Zapala Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Speed over a triangular course of 300 km	225.69 km/h	2005-11-21	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany		Chos Malal Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Speed over a triangular course of 500 km	194.79 km/h	2005-11-23	Klaus Ohlmann  Germany	Kathrin Woetzel  Germany	Chos Malal Argentina	Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-4DM
Absolute Altitude	23,202 m	2018-09-2	Jim Payne  USA	Tim Gardner  USA	El Calafate Argentina	Windward Performance Perlan II
Gain of Height	12,894 m	1961-02-25	Paul F. Bikle  USA		Fox Airport, Lancaster, California United States	Schweizer SGS 1-23 E

Class	Category	Record	Date	Pilot	Place	Glider
Single seat	Duration	56h 15mn	1952-04-02	Charles Atger  France	Romanin-les-Alpilles France	Arsenal Air 100

GNSS flight recorders

With the help of satellite navigation, the International Gliding Commission created rules for special flight recorders. These recorders help make sure gliding competitions and records are fair. They record the exact position of the glider during flights, replacing old methods like photos or people watching from the ground.

These recorders keep track of the glider’s height and location using satellites. They save this information safely so pilots can review it later. There are different levels of approved recorders, depending on how secure and reliable they are. This helps make sure everyone follows the same rules in gliding events.

OSTIV

An associated body is the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile (OSTIV). It helps connect glider manufacturers and pilots so they can share their experiences and ideas. This makes it easier for everyone involved in gliding to learn from each other.

Awards

The International Gliding Commission gives special awards to people who have done amazing things in gliding or helped the sport a lot. One important award is the Lilienthal Gliding Medal, started in 1938 for outstanding gliding achievements or long-term support of the sport. The first person to receive this medal was Tadeusz Góra for his very long flight.

Other awards include the Pelagia Majewska Gliding Medal for female pilots and the Pirat Gehriger Diploma for services to international gliding. Many skilled pilots and gliding experts have received the Lilienthal Medal, including Paul Bikle, Anne Burns, Janusz Centka, and others.