PAVEL CICO
*April 5th 1948
†June 15th 1999

He was born for the life with airplanes, and he died for them.

He died tragicly on June 15th, 1999 at the Trencín airport while operating an airplane. You may have known him as a top airman, first-rate pilot, an able amateurish astronomer, even a constructor of astronomical telescopes, or a nature lover. Thats because whatever Pavel Cico tackled to busy himself, he was trying hard and doing his best. A word "master" simply fits to his personality. He managed to fight out tens of champion titles at the world, Europe, and national championships in aerobatics. He has been titled a Sport Champion. As a air-mechanic he became a master of his craft, who working in the Air-Repair-Facility Company in Trencín on the restoration of the old airplanes carried out great deal for the company as well as for our national air history. There has remained a semi-finished work of the CAPRONI Ca.3 airplane that reminds us the celebrity of M.R.Štefánik. The company is going to put all its effort for the completion of this work for the memory of Pavel Cico too.

He entered the sports-aerobatics in 1973 after completing his course which he took by Július Huliak in Ocová. On his path towards the medals he was being inspired by many top sport-pilots in Slovak and Czech Republic; anyway, only thanks to his diligence and perseverance he could gain the titles of the world second vice-champion in team competition (Austria, 1981), the world first vice-champion (Hungary, 1984). Further, he fought out the first position at the 1985 Europe Championship in Ceské Budejovice, gained three times the title of the Champion of Czechoslovakia, 13-times that of the Champion of Slovakia and two times the title of the International Champion in aerobatics (Denmark, 1990-91). Besides, he brought much more significant appraisals into his collection, though not always the medal ones. He finished as the eighth at the 1997 Advanced World Championship in Kansase among 50 competitors. His team of the young acrobats, which he had started to train together with Dušan Šamko after longer interval in Slovakia, gained the fifth position.

He was born on April 5th, 1948 in Dolná Súca. Almost all his life he was working at the Trencín airport. He used to fly the Z-50, Z-50LX, Extra 230 (300 300S), Su-26, Su-31M and many other types. In the last months he was acting as an inspector for aerobatics at the Slovak aerobatic center, Slovak National Aeroclub, Trencín Aeroclub, and the Air-school of the Seagle Air Company. He was proud at his work that he was not able be accomplishing without accuracy and endurance. However, he never tended to become haughty. He valued health, honesty and sincerity most in his life. His co-workers from the Air-Repair Facility Company in Trencín and co-members from the Slovak Aerobatic Center of the Slovak National Aeroclub, the Trencín Aeroclub and the Seagle Air Company are deeply grieved by his sudden death, and all of them together with the family of Pavel Cico would like to beg all who have known him for a memory.

         Welcome to the World Aerobatic Championship - a competition for the best aerobatic pilots in the world today. The Championship has been held under the auspices of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) since 1960 when it was first held in Bratislava, Slovakia. We return to Slovakia once again! . . . . . .