Meteorological Panel
What is the OSTIV Meteorological Panel?
The MET Panel is a collaborative forum for the exchange of knowledge on soaring meteorology. Our mission is to help meteorological science having a real impact on air sports. We want to improve the generation and transfer of knowledge by strengthening the connection between stakeholders.
The freshly established OSTIV Met Panel board met in Innsbruck and online on Aug 14, 2026 and defined new goals and activities for the next years based on the needs and interests of the air sports communities.
What activities are planned?
The MET Panel board efforts will focus on the following projects between 2026 and 2028:
- bi-yearly hybrid MET Panel Meetings on specific meteorological topics where all MET Panel members are invited to participate (next MET Panel Meeting in Spring 2027)
- a monthly newsletter featuring relevant meteorological publications relevant to air sports (starts in November 2026, subscribe at met@ostiv.org)
- flight data hub: scientific work on igc data quality, igc file extension proposal to log more atmospheric data; advocate for open data; encourage to gather and upload more data (working group)
- contributions at OSTIV Congress 2028 in Coulommiers
As a non-profit organisation, OSTIV does not provide any funding, so the work of the OSTIV Met Panel is entirely done on a voluntary basis.
Who is the MET Panel for?
The MET Panel welcomes experts in soaring meteorology (pilots and non-pilots) including:
- students and scientists from aviation, boundary layer and mountain meteorology
- meteorologists working in operational forecasting or education
- engineers developing forecasting tools or sensors
- specialists supporting gliding and paragliding federations in meteorology
It is a place to meet experts, share ideas, and build collaborations across the fields of atmospheric science and air sports. The MET Panel also creates opportunities to develop new research projects - including MSc and PhD theses - and to exchange perspectives between scientists and pilots. Pilots can bring forward the practical needs and open questions they encounter in flight, while researchers can explore these real-world challenges to develop new scientific questions, measurement campaigns, and forecasting approaches in soaring meteorology.
Join the MET Panel network and stay informed about the meetings, collaborations, and research opportunities: Please contact met@ostiv.org.
Who leads the MET Panel?
The Meteorological Panel is lead by the MET Panel board:
- Prof. Dr. John J. Bird, University of Texas El Paso, US (co-chair)
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Spengler, University of Innsbruck, Austria (co-chair)
- Prof. em. Dr. Bruno Neininger, Metair, Switzerland
- Tobia Lezuo, XC Therm, Switzerland
- Luis Zink, TUM, Germany
- Jonathan Schumann, University of Innsbruck, Austria
- Almut Alexa, DLR and University of Innsbruck, Germany
- Andreas Friesinger, University of Innsbruck, Austria
- Laurian Mena, INSA Toulouse, France
For inquiries, please contact: met@ostiv.org