Before aviator and businessman-explorer Steve Fossett died in 2007, the Perlan I stratospheric glider’s record flight above 50,000 convinced him and his partners, NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson and meteorologist Elizabeth Austin, that higher altitudes were certainly possible. In the next month or so, the pressurized Perlan 2 plans to make the team’s dream of a flight to at least 90,000 feet a reality, so long as Mother Nature and the aircraft’s specialized onboard equipment all cooperate. Here are a few details.
Airbus Perlan 2 Standing by for Record Flight Attempt
Key Takeaways:
- The Perlan 2 glider, building on the legacy of Steve Fossett and now sponsored by Airbus, aims to make a record-breaking flight to at least 90,000 feet.
- Launching from southern Argentina, the 1,100-pound research glider will utilize powerful stratospheric mountain waves, generated by winds over the Andes, for its ascent.
- The project seeks to capture an International Gliding Commission (IGC) record, with the achieved altitude verified by a specialized onboard flight recorder.
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