Editor's comments

Abstract

 

The Call-for-papers for the XXX OSTIV Congress is on the next three pages.  The Congress is to be held 24 July to 8 August 2010 in Szeged, Hungary (NEW DATES!).  Please plan on submitting your studies and attending the Congress so we can all learn from each other! 

Technical Soaring relies primarily on the Congresses for content although unsolicited manuscripts are submitted from time-to-time.  For example, for the August 2008 Congress in Lüsse-Berlin, 48 papers were submitted, 40 were presented and 27 manuscripts were received.  As of this issue, 21 have been published, 3 are in review and 3 were withdrawn.  So, we need you to present your studies in Hungary this summer.

This issue continues the publication of papers presented at the 2008 Congress.  Popelka and colleagues propose passive flow-control devices for suppression of turbulent separation to improve sailplane performance.  Smolik presents a new type of yaw-free multi-probe to help the pilot with reliable variometer readings.  And, Liechti extends speed-to-fly theory to include aligned lift in straight flight between circling climbs in isolated lift.

The following persons located the reviewers and supervised the reviews of the papers in this issue: Guest Associate Editor Fabrio Nicolosi (Popelka, et al. paper) and Associate Editors Mark Maughmer  (Smolik paper) and Zafer Aslan (Liechti paper).  To assure accuracy of the published manuscripts, each senior author received a ‘galley-proof’ for corrections-only prior to publication.  I applaud the team that made this issue possible in a timely manner: associate editors, peer-reviewers, authors, copy-editor/layout, printers and distributors.  Thank you! 

The World Meteorological Organization Technical Note No. 203 “Weather forecasting for soaring flight”, authored by a team from the OSTIV Meteorological Panel, was published in the Spring 2009.  Copies can be obtained either from the OSTIV at www.ostiv.fai.org (bookshop) or from the WMO at

www.wmo.int/e-catalog/detail_en.php?PUB_ID=535&SORT=N&q=.

Technical Soaring is online at journals.sfu.ca/ts/ and compliments the print copy; the print copy will continue for the foreseeable future.  The main benefits of being online are use of color, access to back-issues and, as members choose to terminate receiving print copies, saving OSTIV money.  You must be a paid-up-member to have complete access to ‘TS’ online and OSTIV must have your e-mail address.  So, please either mail your name and e-mail address to OSTIV c/o TU Delft, Faculty Aerospace Engineering, Kluyverweg 1, NL-2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands or e-mail the information to l.m.m.boermans@tudelft.nl.  ‘TS’ online is open to non-members for titles and abstracts.  To receive complete papers, non-members will be charged a pay-per-view/download fee.  A quick start guide to access ‘TS’ online is at www.ostiv.fai.org.

You are invited to send me comments on papers so a useful dialogue with the author(s) can occur in Technical Soaring.  Guidelines for comments can be found on the Technical Soaring website at

journals.sfu.ca/ts/. 

Finally, I write these comments from Petersburg, West Virginia which is nestled among the famous ridges of the Appalachian mountains of the USA.  I am at a wave camp between 27 February and 7 March 2010.  I want to make the 5-km ascent to complete my 25-year campaign for the Diamond badge, the ‘PhD of soaring’.  So far the weather has not cooperated and the forecasts indicate possibly one more opportunity before the camp concludes.  Diamonds may be a girls ‘best-friend’ but for glider pilots they are hard to earn!

Please, submit a paper to the upcoming Congress.  If you cannot attend, I’ll find a knowledgeable colleague to present your studies and provide you with the ‘instant’ and valuable peer-review.

Ward Hindman

OSTIV Chief Editor and Technical Soaring Editor

hindman@sci.ccny.cuny.edu, www.ostiv.fai.org (editor), journals.sfu.ca/ts/