OSTIV (Organisation Scientifique et Technique Internationale du Vol à Voile) is a network of scientists and organisations involved in disciplines that are important for gliding, paragliding, and ballooning. The Meteorological Panel aims to collect and distribute knowledge and best practices for tailored weather forecasts. One of the achievements was the handbook on “Weather Forecasting for Soaring Flight” of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It’s revision including making the content available online is one of the tasks the panel is currently working on.

The scientific results of the past 75 years of activity are archived. New publications deal with topics such as Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of thermals. The focus of the Met Panel’s research is mesoscale meteorology and especially convection and lee-waves for optimising the harvest of energy from the atmosphere, necessary for gliding and paragliding.  As many paragliders and gliders prefer to fly in the mountains, convection above complex terrain of special interest for OSTIV.

The work of the MET-Panel has as well implications for the design of aircraft and for the flight safety including education and training.

What makes OSTIV’s research exceptional is that it can benefit from the experience and measurements gained during gliding activities. We therefore invite scientists working on relevant atmospheric processes, or those who are passionate about flight themselves, to join the MET Panel network, widening the interdisciplinary exchange.