Toruń, Poland, 4 August 2026 – The top 46 Precision Flying pilots from 9 nations have gathered in Toruń, Poland, for the 26th FAI World Precision Flying Championship (9-14 August). With training flights underway, pilots are aiming to gain vital navigation knowledge to help them through the challenging tasks.
Toruń previously hosted the World Precision Flying Championships in 2009 and in this 26th edition of the event, the Polish home team have a significant advantage. Numbering 10 pilots in total, they will hope to once again dominate the teams podium as they have for decades – last conceding it to Czechia in 2002.
Michał Wieczorek of Poland will defend his champion title, while his team-mate, Marcin Chrząszcz, who took silver in the 25th edition of the competition will no doubt also be pushing for the top spot.
At the last edition of the competition in 2022 in France, the French team were vice-champions with the Czech team gaining third place. These three teams will set their skills against pilots from Austria, China, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia and Norway.
Ralf Grunwald, President of the FAI General Aviation Commission explains what makes this competition so unique: “From the thrill of spotting ground targets to the satisfaction of landing perfectly on the line, in Precision Flying pilots compete solo, relying on their individual skills – all with no GPS. We are looking forward to an exciting edition of this event hosted by the Aero Club of Poland and the Pomeranian Aero Club.”
Competition flights are in two parts:
- Navigation: pilots receive a map and plot a precise route, measuring headings and giving a ground speed and flying time for each leg, then alter their calculations according to the actual wind speed and direction. Flying the route, they must stick as closely as possible to their plan to avoid penalties, all the time reading the ground below to spot ground targets.
- Landing: From a height of 1000 feet, the pilot must perform four landings under different conditions, avoiding collecting penalty points by touching down as close as possible to the zero line.
Event schedule
- 4-8 August: Training
- 9 August: Opening Ceremony
- 10-13 August: competition flights
- 14 August: Closing Ceremony
About Precision Flying
Precision Flying challenges an individual pilot’s most basic skills – flight planning, navigation, observation and landing – without the aid of GPS tools or aviation calculators.
In competition, pilots complete a Landing Test of four landings, and three Navigation Tests. Pilots must first prepare their flight plan in 30 minutes, then take off in their aircraft, following the distance, ground speed, time and heading as accurately as possible, identifying targets as they fly.
Penalty points are given for inaccuracies in observations, turning points, speed etc. and competitors aim for the lowest number of penalties to become Champion. Team prizes are also awarded, with the results of the top three pilots from each team/nation compiled to find out the podium places.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
26th FAI World Precision Flying Championship
Toruń, Poland – 9-14 August 2026
The event will be covered extensively on FAI Facebook and Instagram channels with images for editorial use available on Flickr.
- FAI Facebook
- FAI Instagram
- FAI Flickr (free for editorial use, please credit)
- Event website
- More about FAI Precision Flying