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World Precision Flying Championships    481

Precision flying as a hobby and competition started in the Scandinavian countries, pioneered by Sweden, before 1952 when the first championships were held. 

In the early 1970's almost every form of sport aviation activity, ballooning, sky diving, parachuting, aerobatics, except general aviation had its own form of World championship. William H. Ottley, then Executive Director for the National Pilots Association, represented American general aviation at the Commission Internationale d'Aviation Generale (CIAG) under the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). He wanted to introduce a competitive event, international in scope, offering challenges that could reasonably be met by pilots with limited resources. The existing rallyes in Europe tended to be challenging aviation tasks to be completed on what was essentially a grand tour through different parts of Europe and occasionally North Africa.

The "Nordic Light Airplane Pilotage" competitions were almost unknown in the United States, although the National Collegiate Flying Association sponsored somewhat similar events in their own national championships. 
Bill believed he had found an answer to general aviation competition, but that was only the beginning. It was necessary to convince other CIAG delegates that it could be expanded into a world class event. Then came the challenge of introducing the sport to the United States!

The National Pilots Association mounted a major campain to seek sponsors and publicity. They chose a name, U. S. Precision Flight Team (:in 1981 CIAG's delegates adopted the American nomenclature as the official world title for these competitions.) The stylized eagle emblem chosen at that time is still in use. 

The decision was made to schedule a series of regional competitions and bring the winners to a championship site where national champions and the United States team would be selected. 

In February 1974 the National Pilots Association, on behalf of the United States of America, accepted an invitation extended by the CIAG and the FAI to compete in the first World Championships in Precision Flying to be hald in August 1975 in Gavle, Sweden. The World Championships to be held every other year.
 
The National Pilots Association sponsored the U. S. Team to Sweden in 1975 and to Austria in 1977. Due to financial and administrative collapse of the NPA in early 1979, the team members that went to Montreal were essentially orphans.

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