THE MOUNTAIN WAVE PROJECT (MWP) PURSUES GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF GRAVITY WAVES AND ASSOCIATED TURBULENCE. MWP SEEKS TO DEVELOP NEWS SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH HIGH ALTITUDE AND RECORD SEEKING GLIDER FLIGHTS WITH THE GOAL OF INCREASING OVERALL FLIGHT SAFETY AND IMPROVING PILOT TRAINING. Wind movement over terrain and ground obstacles can create wavelike wind formations which can reach up to the stratosphere. In 1998 the pilots RENÉ HEISE and KLAUS OHLMANN founded the MWP, a project for global classification, research, and analysis of orographically created wind structures (e.g. Chinook, Foehn, Mistral, Zonda). The MWP is an independent non-profit-project of the Scientific and Meteorological Section of the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile (OSTIV) and is supported by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). The MWP was originally focused on achieving better understanding of the complex thermal and dynamic air movements in the atmosphere, and using that knowledge to achieve even outstanding long distance soaring flights. As MWP gained greater awareness of the power inherent to mountain wave-like structures in the atmosphere, and their strong vertical airflows, it became obvious that they presented great dangers to civil aviation in multiple ways. After two exploring expeditions to the Andes and world-record flights (i.e. the first 2.000 km straight out flight with a glider) the MWP Team is now in the process of planning a research mission to the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalajas.
