OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2012. Russian Helicopters, part of state defence holding company Oboronprom and a leading global designer and manufacturer of helicopters, is the general partner of the 14th Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) World Helicopter Championship, which gets underway near Moscow.

The Championship runs from 22-26 August at the Drakino airbase near Moscow. Teams from 11 countries – Austria, Belarus, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, the UK and Ukraine – will take part, and more than 7,000 spectators are expected to attend.

The opening ceremony will take place today, on 22 August, with competition running from 23-25 August. The final day, Sunday 26 August, will see enthralling helicopter races, a display by the legendary Golden Eagles aerobatics team in Mi-28N Night Hunters and a festival of air sport, as well as the closing and awards ceremonies.

Other organisers of the championship alongside Russian Helicopters are the Russian Air Sports Federation, the Russian Helicopter Sport Federation, DOSAAF (a volunteer association supporting the armed forces) and the Moscow Region branch of the ROSTO air sports club. The Championship is supported by the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Government of Moscow Region, the Administration of Serpukhov District (Moscow Region) and the Russian Air Force, and is held under the auspices of the FAI Rotorcraft Commission. UTair Aviation is also an official partner of the competition.

Russian Helicopters is an active supporter of the civilian helicopter sector in Russia and works hard to popularise helicopter sport. Holding the 14th World Helicopter Championships in Russia is a significant event for the country’s civil aviation industry and gives Russian teams a great chance to demonstrate their skills in front of their home crowd and foreign guests.