Omega tau is a website consisting mainly of podcasts produced by Markus Voelter and Nora Ludewig, both located in the greater Stuttgart area in Germany. Markus is a glider pilot who flies an ASH-26, but he is very much a polymath, whose interests subtend astronomy, aerodynamics, computer science, physics, space exploration, and many fields of engineering. According to Markus, “Omega tau is a podcast that covers all kinds of interesting things in science and engineering. We publish episodes in regular intervals (though, not too often :-)) on whatever we find interesting. We also pride ourselves in really good production value.” Markus goes on to explain, “In interviews we talk to interesting people either in person or on the phone. For features we visit some interesting location or facility, and record what on-site experts explain to us. We then edit this into a coherent story. Each episode is between 45 and 75 minutes long to make sure there’s enough time to cover a topic in a comprehensive and fair manner. Depending on the topic, episodes are either in English or German language. The podcast is non-commercial. Currently, there is no sponsoring or advertisement on the shows. All episodes are published under the Creative Commons Non-Derivative License 3.0 .”

Many podcasts are in German, but quite a few are produced in English. Click here to view a list of links to recent podcasts.Although Omega Tau podcasts span a wide variety of topics, several focus on topics that should appeal to sailplane pilots and soaring enthusiasts in general. To see a list of podcasts devoted specifically to aviation, click here. Podcast #7, “Flight in a Motorglider,” and #25, “Aerodynamic Lift Explained,” are especially suited to Soaring Cafe visitors. Enjoy!