The project first sparkled at the end of 2018, in the mind of the two project managers Manuela Raimbault and Thibaut Roger, both PhD students in astrophysics at the Universities of Geneva and Bern. During a casual discussion, they wondered: How could we combine science with our hobbies. What… if we would put instruments on paragliders, and involve as many pilots as possible? Could it bring valuable scientific measurements? If so, has it already been done? Being scientific explorers, they do not limit to astrophysics, and want to explore other domains of science. An idea was born, and after some research and calculation, they were convinced it was a good idea, and they were willing to push forward this project in atmospheric sciences, climate and pollution.

Soon after, in 2019, they were joined by scientists specialised in those scientific fields. First was Tjarda Roberts from the LPCEE in Orléans, and then three scientists from the IAC in Zürich: Jan Henneberger, Zamin Kanji, and Ulrike Lohmann. With their expertise, they helped refine the idea and strengthen the project. What would be measured? Which scientific questions could be answered with those data? Those example questions can have many possible answers. The science team helped to select the best ones to be develop in the frame of the project. Selected to be one of the teams of the 2019 Bench2Biz workshop, App’Ailes d’Air received the support of a team of experts: Piero Pontelandolfo, Julien Levallois and Jean-Jacques Estella. The intense brainstorming made App’Ailes d’Air go from the state of a precise idea, to a clear project, defined with work package, risks assessment, an action plan, etc.

Beginning of 2020, a pre-prototype of instrument successfully built and tested, the project was ready to start. The only missing thing, was funding. In February, joined by 4 citizens willing to be test pilots for the project and to liaise with the future community, the team applied for a PWA seed grant. In July, the answer from the Participative Science Academy of Zürich came: the first step of the project would be funded. This will cover the cost for us to test other electronic components, building additional prototypes, and then to produce ~100 instruments and pilot kits to cover the Jura/Alps region, as well as to do outreach.

NOW, we are ready to start! We are also currently in discussion with private companies for additional sponsoring. You are a company and want to sponsor us? Please contact us!

Here are the basic steps for the short future of AP5:

  • September 1st 2020: official start of the project.
  • September 2020 – now: development of the instrument prototype: test of electronic components, development of the instrument software, test flights, quality check, etc.
  • October 2020 – now: development of the website, which will host all the data collected by the pilots, and the tools to analyse the data.
  • Once prototype is near completion:
    • Start of a campaign to collect bottle caps to be recycled to make the instrument protection cases.
    • Start of the campaign to actively recruit paraglider pilots willing to join the network.
  • Once prototype is completed: production of the ~100 first instruments and pilot kits and starting to distribute the instruments kits.
  • As soon as the first instruments reach their volunteers: beginning of the data collection by the pilots.

Once the data collection start and increase over time, the science exploitation of the data will become possible, starting already with a few months of data. On a longer term scale, the goal is to export the project first in all of Europe and then worldwide, when additional funding will have been secured. The aim is to add 100 new instruments per partner country, and per year, in order to build a very long term database of atmospheric data.