19 Jan 2018

Aviation and Space: Diary-notifications and anniversaries for 2018

The first transatlantic crossing in a gas balloon, two of the longest human-powered flights ever recorded, and an over-6000 km airship flight completed in 1928: just four of the incredible, record-breaking feats the anniversaries of which will be celebrated by the FAI in 2018. 

Dating back to the early 1900s, each one still stands as a record in the air sports field, and represents the triumph of human determination, bravery and skill when pitted against often seemingly insurmountable odds.

As the world governing body for air sports activities, the FAI is the global authority on the many thousands of space and aviation records created and ratified by the Federation since its foundation in 1905.

It shares the achievements of air sports pioneers via a series of articles and social media messages, offering access to the most valuable, interesting and exclusive documents and pictures from the Federation’s archives to the public and the media.

The list of records and achievements in aviation and Space flight that the FAI plans to mark during 2018 includes:

  • The 30th anniversary of cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos’ close to four-hour flight between the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini in a human-powered aeroplane (April 1988)
  • The 40th anniversary of Americans Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman and Maxie Anderson’s historic, five-day transatlantic crossing in a gas balloon (August 1978)
  • The 90th anniversary of German pilot Dr. Hugo Eckener’s 71-hour airship flight between the United States and Germany, which remains the longest and furthest journey ever completed in an airship (November 1928)
  • The 5th anniversary of Alexis Reichert’s 53-second flight in Aerovelo’s enormous, prize-winning human-powered helicopter, Atlas (September 2013)

Below is a full list of all the notable anniversaries this year:

Date

Name

Country

Category

Description

Performance

Record
status

24.01.2008

BAKER Pauline

IRL

Hot Air Balloons
- 400 to 600 m³

Altitude

4272m

Current

22.02.2013

ANANOV Sergey

RUS

Helicopters

Distance without landing

1232km

Current

12-13.04.1928

KÖHL Hermann, VON HÜNEFELD Baron, FITZMAURICE James

GER / IRL

Powered Aeroplanes

First transatlantic nonstop flight from east to west

 

Not a record

23.04.1988

KANELLOPOULOS Kanellos

GRE

Human-powered aeroplanes

Duration

3h 54m 59s

Current

27.04.2013

BILQUEY Bernard

FRA

Aeromodelling – Hot air
balloons

Stationary flight duration

1h 49m 41s

Current

17.08.1978ABRUZZO Ben, NEWMAN Larry and ANDERSON MaxieUSABalloonsDistance – First balloon transatlantic crossing (5 days)5001.22 kmSuperseded

18.08.2008

KASPROWICZ Edward and SHEIK Steven

USA

Helicopter

Speed around the world. Eastbound

136.7 km/h

Current

02.09.2008

MORILLAS SALMERON Ramon

ESP

Paramotors

Time to climb to a height of 6000m

1h 12m 32s

Current

14.09.2008

BEM Jan and ZALUSKA Olga

CZE

Microlights

Time to climb to a height of 3000m

7m 20s

Current

24.09.2013

REICHERT Alexis

CAN

Human-powered rotorcraft

Duration

53 sec

Current

30.10.1968

TIMOFEEVITCH Georgy

URS

Space

Greatest mass lifted to altitude

6575kg

Current

01.11.1928

ECKENER Hugo

GER

Airship

Distance

6384.50km

Current