13th FAI Competition Will be Hosted in Ostrow, Poland

Five members of the Lakeland Aero Club will travel to Ostrow, Poland to compete in the Junior World Gliding Championships.

The event is sanctioned by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Air Sports Federation and will be held from July 13th through 27th.

The team’s glider pilot will be Steven Tellman and his support crew will consist of Qwest Hipps, Dallas Hurd, Kenneth Turbeville, and Matthew Turbeville. Tellman is the youngest glider pilot in the history of American competitors and to qualify, he was required to compete in regional contests and earn badges. 

The FAI competition is held biennially in a different country, with pilots competing for speed and distance to win awards and recognition. In this year’s contest 67 glider pilots from 21 countries will show off their flying skills as they vie for the soaring awards.

Lakeland Aero Club is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit high school flying club based at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) in Lakeland, Florida, on the campus of the Aerospace Center for Excellence. Its mission is to stimulate interest in aviation and provide opportunities for young people through hands-on experience in flying, maintaining, and restoring antique airplanes. Aviation philanthropist James C. Ray created the idea for the club and funded the program to get it established in 2011.

FMI:  www.lakelandaeroclub.org, www.fai.org/sport/gliding