• Olympic Museum - 19 April 1999 - Award Of Olympic Order To Bertrand Piccard and Brain Jones
• Dan Buchanan To Receive Barber Showmanship Award
• The Southern Aviator Changes Hands
• New Pilot's Ranking Published (HG, PG and Class 2)
• Up, Up And Away - The Great Balloon Race
• Ciam Events

Mr President, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are here today to honour two great aviators, two outstanding sportsmen and two remarkable human beings. Bertrand Piccard, Brian Jones, we are all proud of you. We feel that we too have taken part in your adventure. We were with you in spirit when you soared up from your Alpine Valley in Château D'Oex, not far from here, when you tip-toed through the narrow Chinese Corridor, when you floundered over the Pacific and when you finally sped over the Sahara to touch down in your balloon, a symbol of late 20th century technology, in Egypt, the cradle of an ancient civilisation that fascinates you, and so many others. We all shared emotions with you: joy and fear, optimism and frustration, doubt, gratitude and the final elation that you described so eloquently. Your balloon, on its three-week voyage round our fragile planet, was a beacon of hope for all the world's peoples, and particularly for its children.

In your characteristically modest and unassuming way, you reminded us that hard work and perseverance pay - that not everything can be obtained instantaneously. You taught us that what some thought impossible could be achieved with patience, skill, courage and dedication. You showed us that, in this last year of a sometimes dark and turbulent century, incredible adventures are still possible, and that these strike a chord in the hearts of people around the world of all ages, inspiring us all to cast aside empty cynicism and set ourselves higher goals.

Your flight was an example of all that is best in the spirit of the Olympic movement, an ideal that we in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) share. By drifting unobstructed over so many national frontiers you showed these to be insubstantial barriers, dividing people who in reality share common causes and aspirations. By competing with your fellow round-the-world balloon contenders in an open and friendly fashion, you demonstrated fair-play and respect for other competitors. By dedicating your flight to the world's children and establishing your charitable fund "Wings of Hope", you have shown that great sporting achievements should not be selfish acts, but dedicated to others.

This last great aeronautical exploit of the 20th century ranks with the greatest in the archives of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, which was founded in 1905 and which, by a happy coincidence, moved its headquarters from Paris to the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, just a few months ago.

Among the records that the FAI has had the honour of ratifying we find : Jean Blériot who, in 1909, crossed the Channel from Calais to Dover for the first time. In 1910 George Chavez made the first crossing of the Alps. In 1927 Charles Lindbergh succeeded in crossing the Atlantic, solo. In 1931 a certain Auguste Piccard achieved the absolute ballooning altitude record. Then, Chuck Yeager beat the sound barrier in 1947. Yuri Gagarin first flew in space in 1961 and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. The first non-stop unrefuelled circumnavigation of the earth in an aeroplane was Dick Rutan's in 1986...

And now we can add two new names to the FAI's scroll of honour , to our cavalcade of heroes - round-the-world balloonists Piccard and Jones.

But these are no ordinary heroes. Even in the company of the distinguished names I have mentioned, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones stand out for their humility and generosity of spirit, their ability to communicate their feelings to ordinary people, and their determination to help others. The men that you, Mr President, are honouring today, are not only great aviators and great athletes. More importantly they are distinguished ambassadors for our air sports and for the Olympic ideal. Most important of all they are excellent examples for the children of the world to look up to.

On behalf of all air sportsmen and women the world over, I salute you Betrand Piccard and Brian Jones. This is an honour you richly deserve. We wish you well in the important work of education, encouragement and support of others that lies ahead of you.

Hang glider performer Dan Buchanan has been named the 1999 recipient of the prestigious "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship." The award - presented annually by WORLD AIRSHOW NEWS and friends and family of the late Bill Barber, airshow performer extraordinaire - recognizes an airshow entertainer who has demonstrated superb showmanship ability. It will be presented to Buchanan during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Sunday, August 1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at a special Theater In The Woods ceremony before an audience of peers and airshow fans.

Buchanan is the only professional hang glider pilot on the airshow circuit and flies a hang glider manufactured by Moyes Glider of Sydney, Australia. "Dan is one of few performers who has been able to add magic to powerless flight, and he has done so through his ability as a showman," says Dave Weiman, editor/publisher of WORLD AIRSHOW NEWS.

Buchanan's performances include creative launches from either a ground support vehicle and ultralights. He has also been launched from a hot air balloon. Buchanan provides live radio and public address narration during his performances; multi-colored smoke and streamers; and pyrotechnics for both his daytime and nighttime routines. Buchanan's National Anthem opener includes rockets bursting in the air, launched from his hang glider, and several 150 foot streamers which he releases while executing aerobatic maneuvers. He then snatches them out of the air with his bare hands!

This dramatic aerial ballet ends at show center with a fast, low final while Buchanan waves to the crowd, and of course, a smooth wheel landing.

Following his performances, Buchanan spends time with his fans, answers questions, and allows curious children and adults to suspend themselves in the flying harness.

"Dan is not only a showman... he is an inspiration to people who wish to live their dreams," says Weiman. A 1981 hang glider accident may have left Buchanan paralyzed from the waste down, but getting around on the ground and in the air is obviously not a problem for the 42-year-old airshow performer... only an inconvenience.

The "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship" is named after one of the most versatile and theatrical entertainers of all time. Barber flew five totally different types of showplanes, and performed as many as six distinct acts, including a deadstick routine, comedy act, rope ladder pickup, car-top landing, team aerobatics, and a wingwalking routine, and was also a dramatic airshow announcer, earning him the title as aerobatic flying's "Renaissance man."

Nominations for the award are solicited from the airshow entertainment industry at large, and a committee made up of past recipients make the final selection by individual ballot. Past recipients include the Eagles, French Connection, Jim Franklin, Leo Loudenslager, Julie Clark, Sean D. Tucker, Red Baron Stearman Squadron, Bob and Annette Hosking, Bob Hoover, Wayne Handley, Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes, and Patty Wagstaff.

The Southern Aviator, a monthly aviation newspaper, has been purchased by the Flyer, according to Ben Sclair, president of Northwest Flyer Inc., publisher of the Flyer. Based in Tacoma, Wash. the Flyer, is a 45,000 paid circulation, bi-weekly nationally distributed newspaper serving the general aviation industry. It has been in continuous publication for over 50 years.

The Southern Aviator is published monthly with 13,000 circulation in a 12-state area in the southeastern US. It is the only regional newspaper serving general aviation in the area which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Also included with the purchase of the newspaper is the publication¹s web site at www.southern-aviator.com.

In addition to its monthly publication schedule The Southern Aviator produces Sun Œn Fun Today, the daily on-site newspaper of the Sun Œn Fun EAA Fly-in at Lakeland, Florida. This April event is the nation¹s second largest annual fly-in attracting approximately 800,000 visitors. The Flyer has been producing EAA TODAY, the daily newspaper for the Oshkosh, fly-in and originated the first daily at Sun n' Fun.

The market served by The Southern Aviator has more than 160,000 registered pilots with more than 50,000 privately-owned general aviation aircraft operating from 3,800 airports. Sclair said that this addition of a regional newspaper will strengthen his company¹s presence in the southeastern part of the country and enhance service to advertisers targeting the general aviation market.

Todd H. Huvard, a businessman and private pilot, published the first issue of The Southern Aviator in January 1988. Huvard plans to devote his time to his commercial web site development company.

Sclair said, "I¹ve known Todd for several years and have always admired the quality of his regional publication." Sclair added, "The Southern Aviator has a strong news and editorial team and our plans are to keep them all."

The latest World Pilot Ranking Scheme (WPRS) for hang gliding, paragliding and Class 2 has just been published.

Following feedback and a review of WPRS a programming error has been corrected. Now it is only a pilot's top 4 ranking scores that count towards the overall ranking (rather than all competitions a pilot had flown in the 18 month period). There are also several competitions which have dropped out of the current 18 month period. This all means that there are some big changes amongst the top places in both hang gliding and paragliding and the points are much closer.

In hang gliding new competitions included are the Australian HG Open, the Venezuelan International and the Brasilian WHGS and there are currently 378 pilots ranked. Manfred Ruhmer now leads with 296 points only 11 points separating the top 4 (Oleg Bondarchuk 287, Gerolf Heinrichs 286 and Guido Gehrmann 285). Newcomers to the top 10 are Josef Zweckmayer (6), Rupert Plattner (7) and Kristoff Kratzner (10).

Those who have dropped out of the top 10 are Jean-Francois Gerard, Mario Alonzi and Bernardi Ignazio. For the women Niki Hamilton is now top ranked female in 44 position, with Francoise Mocellin 59th and Marie Jo Rufat 76th.

The paragliding ranking only sees the addition of the South African National Championships (not the Argentinian PWC as there were not enough valid rounds) and there are currently 401 pilots ranked. However with the changes detailed above there have been some big changes in the top 10. Jimmy Pacher is back in first place with 258 points ahead of Kari Eisenhut (250) and Christian Tamegger (246). Newcomers to the top 10 are Peter Von Kanel (4), Hans Bollinger (6), Xevi Bonet (7) and Steve Cox (9). Those slipping out of the top 10 are Denis Cortella, Stephan Stieglair, Walter Holzmuller and Mads Syndergaard. Claire Bernier still heads the female rankings in 38th followed by Sandie Cochepain (54) and Louise Crandal (63).

Class 2 sees no change as there were only 4 comps last year which was the first year of an active Class 2 ranking.

Full details are available on the CIVL website: www.fai.org/hang_gliding/ or the British HG league website: www.theleague.force9.co.uk

Following Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones' recent first successful circumnavigation of the earth in the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) has announced firm plans for "The Great Balloon Race" - a round-the-world race targeted to start in the winter of 2000/2001.

The exact departure date and time will be determined by world weather patterns, particularly the positions and speeds of the high level winds known as 'jetstreams'. The balloons will take off in the northern hemisphere at a launch site yet to be confirmed. But indications of interest have already been received from venues in North America, Southern Europe, North Africa, the Gulf and also China. All are under active consideration.

A detailed study lasting several months has concluded that the race, although highly challenging in technical and logistical terms, is entirely feasible. Between five and ten balloons are expected to take part in the first race, which will then take place at intervals of about four years.

In conjunction with three major partner organisations, the FAI is putting into place contractual and budgetary arrangements, together with a technical, marketing and public relations infrastructure capable of handling this high-profile, multi-million dollar event. Sponsors are currently being sought and individual balloon sponsorship packages will be available to enable selected competitors to defray their expenses.

The FAI Ballooning Commission has appointed an advisory committee to draw up detailed rules for the Race, including rigorous safety procedures. The basic concept is that the winner will be the first balloon to circumnavigate the globe, crossing the same meridian as the launch site, without approaching too close to the Poles. A target landing place may be declared. In the event that no contestant completes a full circumnavigation, the balloon that flies the furthest will win. The winner will receive a handsome trophy.

The event will be open to appropriately licensed and experienced crews from any FAI member country, flying balloons of any manufacture that are capable of flying round the world. Because of the limited number of places available and the potential hazards involved, the FAI reserves the right to select and reject participants, on the basis of criteria that will be published.

Several potential competitors, including women, have already indicated their interest in taking part in the Great Balloon Race. A detailed "Notice of Race" giving full particulars is being prepared and will be circulated to suitably qualified persons who notify FAI of their interest in participating. Such persons are invited to write to FAI with a request for preliminary registration. The address is:

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Avenue Mon Repos 24
CH-1005 Lausanne
Switzerland
E-mail: balloonrace@fai.org

Further details will be published, as they become available, on the FAI's Great Balloon Race web page at http://www.fai.org/GreatBalloonRace/ and will be circulated to those whose preliminary registration has been accepted.

Several international aeromodelling events are scheduled in the FAI Sporting Calendar to take place this year in Yugoslavia.The present situation in that country has been carefully monitored by the FAI, and it has reluctantly been concluded that the events scheduled for May and June have to be cancelled.

An announcement regarding the competitions scheduled for later in the year (after 1 July 1999) will be made at the end of May.