XXXVII Congress - Call for papers

The XXXVII Congress of the International Scientific and Technical Organisation for Gliding (OSTIV) will be held from 18 - 22 May, 2026.

The Congress will be organized as a hybrid meeting, with online streaming, at the site of the 40th FAI World Gliding Championships for the 18m-, 20m-, and Open Classes, in Czestochowa, Poland. The Congress addresses all scientific and technical aspects of soaring flight including motorgliding, hang-gliding, paragliding, ultralight sailplanes and aeromodelling.

Opportunity for presentation and discussion of papers is given in the following categories:

Meteorological Sessions

• Weather forecasting for soaring flight (gliding and paragliding)
• Deriving useful information for gliding from routine weather information
• Boundary layers above complex terrain
• Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of thermals, mesoscale, or microscale structures
• The present and future role of artificial intelligence
• Airborne data acquisition
• Linking meteorology with Sailplane Design, Aerodynamics and Safety

Sessions on Sailplane Design and Development

Sessions will cover all aspects of the design, development and operation of sailplanes. Topics may include

• Airworthiness, structural concepts, new materials, fatigue, crash-worthiness, and manufacturing processes
• Aerodynamics and flight mechanics
• Trajectory optimization
• Stability and control
• Airframe vibration and flutter
• Propulsion systems
• Design integration and optimization
• New developments in flight testing
• Airworthiness requirements
• Cockpit instruments, including navigation instruments
• Autonomous soaring

Training and Safety Sessions

Training and Safety sessions will be held on subjects covering disciplines such as

• Flight training, theory and analysis of techniques and results, psychology, objectives, training facilities and material
• Human and medical factors in aircraft design and operation
• Piloting techniques
• Flight operation in controlled airspace
• Safety devices
• Advanced Risk Management or Safety Management Systems (SMS) focused on soaring operations

Joint Sessions

Joint Sessions cover topics of general interest in the field of gliding such as

• Soaring history
• General philosophy of competition classes
• Documentation of badge and record flights
• Common interests with other air sports like hang-gliding, paragliding, microlights and ultralights
• Human-powered flight; solar-powered flight.

Deadlines for Abstracts and Final Congress Contribution

The deadline for the Abstracts - max. two A4 pages including figures - is 6 Dec 2025. Letters of acceptance together with instructions for paper preparation will be mailed by 20 Dec 2025. Final four-page summaries of your contribution to be included in the conference booklet are requested by 31 March 2026. The four-page summaries of all presentations will be published as part of the Conference Proceedings. The Proceedings will be referenceable by its ISBN. Please use the form below to send a copy of your Abstract to the OSTIV Secretariat, admin@ostiv.org .

Congress Presentations

It is expected that Congress presenters attend the Congress in person. Oral presentations at the Congress will be limited to 30 minutes. There is no registration fee for the Congress. OSTIV encourages submission of full papers to the international journal Technical Soaring (ISSN 0744-8996) after the Congress.

Support for Student Participation to the Congress

OSTIV encourages university students to attend the Congress in person. Therefore, students can apply for partial reimbursement of the cost of travel to the Congress. Reimbursement will be limited to 50% of the travel fare, e.g. economy-class flight tickets, second-class train tickets, as well as fuel cost of using private cars. Total reimbursement of the travel cost will not exceed the amount of EUR 400. Taxi fares, cost of rental cars, hotel cost, per diem, etc will not be reimbursed. Invoices of travel fares and proof of enrolment in study programme must be shown during the time of the Congress.

Best Student Papers Awards

Awards of EUR 400 will be presented to the students delivering the best presentations throughout the Congress. We seek papers by Bachelor students, Master students, and doctoral students. To be eligible, student presenters must be the first author and submit an abstract and four-page summary by the aforementioned deadlines, as well as a manuscript to Technical Soaring prior to the Congress. Students who are not eligible to obtain a Visa for attending the Congress in person may use the online stream to present their work.

Nominations OSTIV Plaque / Klemperer Award

During the Opening Ceremony of OSTIV Congresses the OSTIV Plaque and Klemperer Award may be presented to the person who has made the most noteworthy scientific and/or technical contribution to soaring flight in recent years. All OSTIV Members can send in nominations. In making such nominations, particular attention should be given to recent contributions to soaring flight by the nominee, although earlier outstanding work also will be taken into account. Nominations should include details of the nominee’s contributions and a short biography. All nominations for the OSTIV Plaque / Klemperer Award must be received by R. Radespiel, the President of OSTIV, c/o TU Braunschweig, Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Hermann-Blenk-Str. 37, D-38108 Braunschweig, Germany, president@ostiv.org by 31 December, 2025.

Congress Site and Attendance

The Congress will be organized as a hybrid meeting, and it will take place at the site of the 40th FAI World Gliding Championships for the 18m-, 20m-, and Open Classes, at Rudniki airfield EPRU, Czestochowa, Poland. Meeting rooms will be provided by PPHU Vigo Zygmunt Wychowaniec, which is located close to the airport. The Congress Organizer will provide an online means of Congress participation.