14th FAI Junior World Gliding Championships 2026
EDPA Aalen-Elchingen, Germany
August 2nd to 15th, 2026
Finals JWGC
Junior World Championships in Elchingen: The final day of competitions has come and gone, and the world champions have been crowned. High-stakes competition, international encounters, and an extraordinary sense of community defined the 14th Junior World Gliding...
10th day of Competition
Junior World Championships in Elchingen: The last day of competition has been flown Suspense until the very end - two Germans have the best chances at the world title in the Standard class The tenth day of competition of the Junior World Gliding Championships in...
9th day of Competition
A nerve-wracking battle in the blistering heat—the Junior World Gliding Championships enter the home stretch The 14th Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen remain thrilling right up to the final flight. Even on the ninth day of competition, the top pilots...
8th competition day
Pure excitement on the eighth day of competition—everything is still up for grabs at the Junior World Championships Pure suspense on the eighth competition day of the Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen: Anything is still possible at the top. The leading...
7th day of Competition
The seventh day of competition has taken place and the Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen are in the cruicial phase The gaps are tight and the World Championships are still far from decided. New Week - New Luck? After resting on Sunday, Monday was once...
Rest Day
After flying several very hot competition days our pilots need a one day off for recreation and regeneration.
Experience the thrill of gliding up close” was the theme of the “Air Sports Day” on August 8th, 2026
On this day, the Luftsportring Aalen celebrated its 75th anniversary. The celebration was held together with aviation enthusiasts from Ellwangen, Heidenheim, Gerstetten, Giengen, Donzdorf, and Neresheim, as well as local residents and participants in the Junior World...
Competition Day 6
With six consecutive competition days, the Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen are entering their decisive phase The young pilots competing in the 14th Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen have just completed six consecutive days of competition....
Competition Day 5
Five Consecutive Competition Days - Junior World Gliding Championships are in Full Swing Five consecutive days of competition, five sessions of concentrated flying lasting several hours each, and tasks spanning several hundred kilometers: The 14th Junior World Gliding...
4th competition day
Four Consecutive Competition Days – Junior World Gliding Championships Really Pick Up Speed The 14th Junior World Gliding Championships have completed its fourth consecutive competition day on Thursday, August 6th. The young pilots are experiencing ideal weather...
Gliders and their various classes
Worldwide, there is a wide variety of glider types with different performance capabilities. This naturally makes it difficult to evaluate them fairly within a competitive setting. A sophisticated points and class system is intended to ensure this fairness.
At the Junior World Gliding Championships in Elchingen, competitions are held in two classes.
Club Class
In this class, many different types of aircraft fly. Especially for juniors, it is a very affordable way to get started in competitive gliding. The aircraft are mostly older designs that can no longer keep up with modern machines and are often no longer manufactured. However, such aircraft are not bad — quite the opposite. Many clubs worldwide own these models. This allows them to operate these aircraft without major financial expense and make them available to young people. Aircraft development has advanced so far that no wooden gliders compete in this class anymore, only fiberglass sailplanes. To a layperson, these aircraft are very difficult to distinguish from high-end models.
Club-class aircraft rarely have a glide ratio worse than 1:38, meaning: a loss of 1000 meters in altitude for 38 km of flight distance. Many different types compete in the club class. Therefore, to ensure fairness, all achieved performances within the class are adjusted using an index that reflects the particular qualities of the respective aircraft. In the club class, flying is done without water ballast.
Standard Class
The standard class is one of the FAI classes, meaning it is established worldwide. In it, new-generation aircraft with a wingspan of up to 15 meters and without flaps on the trailing edge of the wing, are flown. Retractable landing gear and integrated water tanks in the wings are permitted.
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