PRESENTATIONS

Saturday 25th

Forcasting

• Short-range local model (LMK)
  Erland LORENZEN

  The LMK (2.8 km horizontal resolution) is nested in the 7 km-LME which is nested in the 40-km GME model. This development is since August 2006. Impressive predictions of a meso-cyclone associated with a tornado and predictions of a squall-line were presented. Predictions of mountain wave occurrence with satellite image verification as well as data from flight-recorders of gliders demonstrated the accuracy of the wave forecasts. This DWD product which in available in the on-line pc_met system is a valuable addition to forecasts for the central and northern-European glider pilots.
  PDF (3 Mbyte)

Mountain Waves

• Information about the OSTIV Mountain Wave Project (MWP), Operation Mendoza (Argentina)
  Rene HEISE and Wolf-Dieter HEROLD

  HEROLD video:
  A Stemme S10 (K. Ohlman's) was the measurement platform. Forecasts used for flight planning were produced by the "Amt fuer Geowissenschaften der Bundeswehr" (Office for Geoscience of the German military). A tool to visualize the forecast for the relevant part of the Andes was made available by the German Meteorological Service (DWD) through the internet application pc_met. The Argentinian Air Force provided additional local meteorological aassistance. Instruments: Best-aircraft turbulence probe (BAT-probe for 3-D air motions), temp, moisture, detailed navigation, etc ... One goal was to break Kuettners's German absolute altitude record (Bishop wave).

  HEISE brief:
  MWP Motivation: 1999-Science and record flying, poster presentation at an Innsbruck mountain meteorology meeting.
  2006 (October-November)-scientific objectives, explore turbulence and flight safety on air routes over Andes into Santiago Chile. Help improve Andes crossing procedures through observations, measurements and numerical simulations.
  Qualitative results, to date, have revealed unexpected air motions, perhaps unique to the location (different than those experienced further south) and currently unexplained. Data are freely available ( ) and analyses are encouraged in an attempt to explain the unexplained phenomena.
  Due to the excellent support of the Argentinean Airforce (F.A.A.) the OSTIV expedition to the ACONCAGUA was a great success.
  PDF (0.9 Mbyte)

• Wave flying over Norway
  Thomas SEILER

  Visited a Norway wave camp (temporary membership in technical university flying club so he could use club equipment).. Oppdal is just south of Trondheim in the high mountains (about 2000 m MSL, valley bottoms 500m). At 63N, still thermals! Wave flying in cloudy conditions; flew in a Foehn Gap, 1-2 m/s. On a rotor-cloud (roll cloud?) flight 9 m/s climb but not too turbulent due to "round-top" mountains! Showers and overcasts sometimes limited the flights. Awesome!
  PDF (1.4 Mbyte)

• Terrain induced Rotor EXperiment (T-Rex)
  Rene HEISE and Wolf-Dieter HEROLD

  Extension of the infamous Sierra Wave Project. Occurred in the Winter-Spring 2006. Explore the "Sierra-monster": the rotor. Inspired, in part, by the "Second-most famous wave picture" (the first being the Omamara wave (EEH), the famous the Bob Symons P-38 flight. Thoroughly instrumented: surface, remote and airborne; international in participants. Preliminary results presented at Am. Met. Soc. mt. meteor. meeting, Santa Fe NM Sept. 06 (papers on AMS website). Showed wave-rotor structure from vertically pointing lidar detecting an aerosol layer.

• Wave simulations in a fluid-tunnel
  Jörg DUMMANN

  "Wave simulations in a fluid-tunnel", re-enacting a historic experiment. An instructive animation showing a fluid flowing down-stream of a barrier.

Convection

• Enhancement of Vegetation in Arid Areas
  Markus STRACKE and Cordelia MAERKER

  A schematic was presented showing a postulated mechanism for the artificial development of convective clouds at the land-sea interface. The development of the convection is expected to be enhanced by altered surface conditions (optimum vegetation plus moisture released in the flow into the convection). The resulting shade from the convective clouds is to promote agriculture (enhancement of vegetation) ashore. If the technique is shown to be feasible, it could be helpful for arid coastal regions.
  PDF (1.5 Mbyte)

• Met Service during WGC 2006
  Bernt OLOFSSON

  Low profile, low budget, expensive beer and difficult weather! But, lots of actual weather information via Internet (wireless access): thermal models, forecast soundings, high-resolution satellite and radar images, Power Point briefings. Task setter did not use TopTask because it did not contain "local knowledge". Forecasts not perfect - but no big mistakes. 15 out-of 28 teams asked for the free pc-met/TopTask system. Ten competition days out of 13 possibilities. Safety issues: short field, start gaggles, "rough (undisciplined)" flying and flying over un-landable terrain.
  PDF (0.6 Mbyte)

  LORENZEN showed photos of the weather from WGC 2006. The photos triggered much discussion about the frequent wave clouds.

• On tuning regional thermal forecasts (experiences from Eskilstuna, Rieti and Vinon)
  Olivier LIECHTI

  Regional thermal forecasts: areas with similar topography, ground cover and produce relative uniform cloud bases and lift rates in convection. Strataform clouds predicted from numerical weather prediction model and cumulus convection predicted from imbedded convection model (REGTHERM). Flight planning accomplished using characteristics of glider, characteristics of the thermals and speed-to-fly theory. Essentially "fly" the glider through the predicted weather (regional thermal forecasts). Compare the actual task speed with predicted task speed to validate thermal forecast. If actual and predicted speeds comparable, thermal forecast "accurate". If actual speed > the predicted speed, pilots flew "aligned lift" (not simulated in thermal forecast). If actual speed < than predicted speed the forecast is "inaccurate" eg. frontal passage miss-forecasted causing pilots to make big detours.
  The validation used with TOPTHERM and HIRLAM models for same forecast regions. Found HIRLAM over predicted giving guidance to "tuning" the HIRLAM model. Also, TOPTEHRM predictions compared with actual flights in Reiti and Vinon and showed actual speeds systematically greater than predicted speeds. So, the "speed-to-fly" theory which, up to this point, had still air between thermals had to simulate ridge, wave and cloud street lift between thermals. Then, ridge lift was parameterized, the DWD LMX model calculates wave lift and cloud-street lift was parameterized. These lift sources were added to the convection lift rates. And, the first validations of flights in dynamic lift are encouraging. This product is four days old! Stay tuned!
  PDF (0.6 Mbyte)

• Vertical velocity analysis in Turkey
  Zafer ASLAN, A. ÖZTOPAL, A. TOKGOZLU and Z.SEN

  The authors from Turkey could not come themselves to Berlin and present their papers, but sent an abstract and a power-point presentation.

  The main aim of this study is to analyze temporal and spatial variations of vertical velocity in Turkey. Daily programs of gliding activities are based on convection potential in flight area. Vertical velocity, vegetation cover, daily heating rate, instability conditions and heat fluxes have a key role on prediction of flight lengths. The favorable gliding conditions are available in late spring, summer and early autumn in Turkey. In this study, NCAR - NCEP reanalysis data (00:00GMT) are considered. Vertical velocity variables and vertical velocity components at three different layers (1000hPa, 925 hPa and 850 hPa pressure levels) have been evaluated at 50x50km grid points in Turkey. Spatial and temporal variations of vertical velocity variables and speed components have been compared with radiosonde data and the PCMET outputs for selected cases.
  PDF (0.6 Mbyte)

DISCUSSIONS

• Preliminary discussion: Report of the IGC Bureau about "thermal records"

  Status of discussion as of Eskilsuna OSTIV Congress, 14 June 2006:
  At the end of the OSTIV Congress, the Met-Panel met to discuss the IGC request to develop criteria to identify "thermal-only" flights for record purposes. No definite criteria could be established, so the recommendation to IGC will be to have record flights also categorized by regions, eg. Australia, Africa, N-America, ect.

  Hans-Werner GROSSE:
  He outlined the history of record flights using "thermals". He stated there is still room to expand the achieved speeds. But, now "surfing the wave" in Argentina has pushed the speed limits further. It's the desire of IGC to discern world records between pure "thermal", pure "wave" and, perhaps, mixed.

  Grosse's suggestions to discern a "pure" thermal flight:

  1. Use forecast of initiation of convection (flight can't start before that time)
  2. Need uniform weather (thermal?) conditions during the flight to set a world record.
  3. Please, Meteorology Panel show us in the data where a world record flight could be made in a thermal/wave-mixture but look like a pure "thermal" flight.

  He further stated the potential in the wave (speed and, hence, distance) is so much, even for a poor pilot, that a non-top pilot can set a world record in wave but can't even place in a competition. So, world record flights must be set in thermals to challenge existing world records which were set in pure "thermals".

  He proposed the following analog: we want to have a "high jump" flight category and a "pole vault" flight category.

  Sunday 26th

  Continued discussion: Report of the IGC Bureau about "thermal records"

  Summary of discussions:
  This text should be sent to IGC.
  It is difficult, on the basis of .igc files alone, to make a clear distinction between flights using only thermal convection and other flights. Additional local meteorological data and further study would be necessary to unambiguously define a "thermal-only" flight.

• Technical Soaring (Edward HINDMAN)

  TS published continuously since 1971. A temporary interruption (2004-2005) has occurred and recovery is underway. Proposed future developments: become web-based, achieve learned-journal status and initiate reviewed and non-reviewed sections.

• Further activities about the update of WMO Technical Note 158 (Olivier LIECHTI)

  WMO has agreed to publish a third edition. Working group was setup in Turkey 2005. Liechti is implementing a mechanism for the group to begin meeting and initiate the required study.

• Usefulness of IGC flight recorders (FRs) for meteorological investigations (Hermann TRIMMEL)

  IGC needs expert advice to the viability of:

  1. obtaining such data using FRs, and
  2. whether it would be valuable to meteorological agencies?
  Answers to (a) is yes: obtaining such data from FRs is feasible.
  The advice for (b) is such data would be valuable.

  Additional comments:

  1. Existing FRs would need to be modified
  2. Sensors and interfaces must be added for temperature and humidity
  3. The IGC file format would need to be extended to accommodate additional lines for the added meteorological measurements
  4. Appropriate placement of the sensors on the sailplane would be necessary

MISCELLANEOUS

Next Met Panel meeting:
Flying session St. Auban or Serres, 24-28 Sept 07; scientific sessions 29 Sept 2007,

Sept. 2008, Meteo Swiss-Zurich (tentative, depending on accommodation price).

Recorder Edward (Ward) Hindman (USA),
Chairman Hermann Trimmel

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