FAI Gliding Commission
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The FAI Gliding Commission (formerly known as the 'International Gliding Commission' (IGC)[1] is a division of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)[2], or "International Aeronautics Federation," the world record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics. The Gliding Commission is the body within the FAI responsible for all international aspects of air sports involving gliders and motor gliders. It does not cover hang gliders and paragliders, which belong to the CIVL,[3] which stands for "Commission Internationale de Vol Libre," the Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission of FAI. A further exception is the sport of glider aerobatics, which is handled together with powered aerobatics by the FAI Aerobatics Commission CIVA,[4] which stands for "Commission Internationale de Voltige Aerienne."[1]
[edit] GNSS Flight Recorders
With the advent of satellite navigation equipment at an affordable price, the Commission developed a Technical Specification [5] for approved Flight Recorders. The flight recorders provide precise evidence of position for gliding competitions, world records, and FAI awards, without using either ground-based observers or photography. The recorders include a pressure altitude sensor and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver.[6]
GNSS and pressure altitude data is recorded in the form of regular fixes stored in non-volatile memory inside the logger. Most approved GNSS recorders are units which integrate the GPS and other functions all in one sealed case. The pressure altitude system in an approved recorder has the same function as a barograph. The GNSS data replaces the need for photography to document reaching turnpoints.
The Commission set up a "GNSS FR Approval Committee" (GFAC) to test recorders for their suitability for documenting badge and record flights according to the Commission's rules. To be approved, the recorder must apply a security code to the data file using Public key infrastructure to ensure that the data file cannot be altered without detection. This allows the data to be used for documenting flight performances up to and including world records.
[edit] External Links
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.fai.org/gliding
- ^ http://www.fai.org/
- ^ http://www.fai.org/hang_gliding/
- ^ http://www.fai.org/aerobatics/
- ^ http://www.fai.org/gliding/gnss/tech_spec_gnss.asp Technical specification of recorders
- ^ http://www.fai.org/gliding/gnss/FAI page on recorders
