Administration

By Frank Eckard

The Delegates to the GAC meeting

The FAI General Aviation Commission (GAC) is responsible for overseeing international air sport competitions and developing the rules for Rally, Precision and ANR competitions and GA Records.

This year Switzerland hosted the annual Plenary Meeting of the FAI General Aviation Commission (GAC). The meeting took place in Luzern on 26–27 February 2026.

South Africa has actively participated in the work of this Commission since it’s inception.

We missed the diplomatic presence of Hans Schewbel following his retirement as President last year. It is believed that he represented South Africa at every GAC meeting since 1999, and his long service was widely appreciated.

When planning my travel, I chose to avoid the Middle East and instead flew via Istanbul to Zurich — a decision that proved wise in hindsight.

The GAC Bureau has been meeting monthly via Zoom throughout the year, so much of the preparation for the annual meeting had already been completed before the plenary session.

Rally Subcommittee
The Rally Subcommittee reviewed the most recent World Rally Flying Championship held in Ferrara, Italy. Several minor rule changes were agreed upon. These mainly addressed the quality of training routes, and the definition of “envelope time” was extended to include taxi time.

General Rules document
To simplify the competition rules for competitors and organizers, a proposal was made last year to extract all provisions common to the various competitions and place them into a new General Rules document. A draft was prepared by Frank Eckard, and comments were received from the subcommittees. The Bureau will now finalise this document.

FAI Athletes Working Group.
The FAI has proposed an Athletes Working Group to give a direct voice to our Athletes. The GAC is to propose one of its athletes to the working group.

Calendar of World Championship Events
2026
26th FAI World Precision Flying Championship – Toruñ, Poland
Training: Tue 4 Aug – Sat 8 Aug 2026
Competition: Sun 9 Aug – Fri 14 Aug 2026

2027
4th FAI WANR Championship – Zwickau, Germany
Training: 23 Aug – 29 Aug 2027
Competition: 30 Aug – 4 Sep 2027

2028
25th FAI World Rally Flying Championship – Greece
Training: Mon 15 May – Fri 19 May 2028
Competition: Sat 20 May – Fri 26 May 2028

Long Range Rally Events
Rallye Toulouse – Tarfaya
14 May 2026
Rallye Toulouse – Saint-Louis
19 September 2026

For further information, please contact: Frank Eckard

The closing dinner was held underneath the aircraft display in the Swiss Museum of Transport

Sticky

Welcome to the SA Power Flying Association, a community of aviation enthusiasts that are passionate about recreational flying in South Africa.

If you are bored of the $100 burger or breakfast runs to the same old airfields, then we have great news for you. SA Power Flying Association is here to help you stretch your wings and advance your flying skills all while learning from some of the best aviators in the world.

We want to help you get in the air, stay in the air, and have fun while you’re at it! SA Power Flying membership makes participating in events easier and more rewarding. Whether you are new to aviation, want to brush up on your skills or want to fly for your country; SA Power Flying has the event for you.

In addition to our successful Speed Rallies, Rally Flying, Air Navigation Rallies (ANR), spot landings and the President’s Trophy, we will be adding a few new events to our calendar. We will also be introducing new member benefits so keep an eye out for updates. Join our WhatsApp group using this link and be the first to find out what is coming up.

With ANR World Championships are coming up in September 2026 in Germany, we want to practice as much as possible. Whether you want to compete or just have fun, join us and learn from some experienced aviators while you have the opportunity.

We are always on the lookout for venues and are happy to tailor our events to your need. If you would like to arrange an event for your club or want to host an event at your airfield, get in touch. We would love to bring the fun to you. We are the only ARO who has approved procedures in place to run these events and we don’t charge for our assistance, we do it for the love of the sport.

We encourage you to renew your SA Power Flying membership through Aero Club, who provide us with the support to continue as a recreational aviation organisation in South Africa. It is through their hard work and dedication that we are able to continue to enjoy free flight across the skies of South Africa.

If you would like to join our events but need a crew member, want to volunteer or just want to find out more, please phone or email us and we will be happy to share more info. You are also welcome to fly/drive into any of our events to meet the team and join us for that burger. Hope to see you at one of our events soon. Happy flying.