On 15 September 2010, after a number of increasingly faster test flights during the course of the year, the Sikorsky X-2 helicopter set a new unofficial world record for a helicopter reaching 250 knots (287mph). The official world record is still held, according the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the world’s air sports organization, by a Westland Lynx helicopter in 1986, which reached 216 knots (249mph).
The official FAI speed record for helicopters is 400.87 km/h (249.09 mph) and was set by John Trevor Eggington with co-pilot Derek J Clews, over Glastonbury, Somerset, England on 11 August 1986 in a Westland Lynx demonstrator.
The fastest speed kite surfing was 55.65 knots (103 km/h; 64 mph) achieved by Rob Douglas (USA) at the 2010 Luderitz Speed Challenge in Luderitz, Namibia, on 28 October 2010 Extraordinary winds at the Speed Challenge helped aid this record in falling multiple times during the event. Douglas, in fact, broke the previous record of 55.49 knots that was set only 14 minutes earlier.
The highest speed ever reached in a speed skydiving competition is 526.93 km/h (327.41 mph) by Christian Labhart (Switzerland) at Utti, Finland at the World Cup June 4/6, 2010.
The highest average speed achieved over a 100 km out-and-return course for an official FAI world record by a pair is 24.59 km/h by Howard Travers (UK) and Harley Smith (Australia) at Eucia, Australia on 25 January 1999.
The highest average speed achieved over a 100 km out-and-return course for an official FAI world record by a man is 34.75 km/h by Gasper Prevc (Slovenia) at Drazgoska Gora, Slovenia, on 3 July 2004.
The fastest speed on a gravity powered street luge is 157.41 kmh (97.81 mph) and was achieved by Cédric Touchette (Canada) in Les Eboulements, Quebec, Canada, on 29 September 2008. The record was broken three times on that day. First by Louis-Etienne Bouchard-Pouliot (Canada) with 148.94 kmh (92.55 mph) then by Charles-Antoine Lavoie (Canada) with 150.50 kmh (93.52 mph) and finally by Cédric.
The fastest speed on a gravity powered snow sled is 100.18 kmh (62.25 mph) and was achieved by Rolf Allerdissen (Germany) on the Brunnenkogel at the Pitztal Glacier (Austria) on 10 April 2010. The speed was measured on a 200 metre (656.17 ft) long course with a 38 degree incline.
The fastest speed kite surfing by a woman was 50.43 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) achieved by Charlotte Consorti (France) at the 2010 Luderitz Speed Challenge in Luderitz, Namibia, on 28 October 2010.
The highest speed reached under sail by a man on water is 49.09 knots (90.91 km/h or 56.49 mph) by Antoine Albeau (France) on a windsurfer at Saintes Maries de la Mer, France, on 5 March 2008.