Sailplane That Soared Higher Than the U-2 Flies at Oshkosh

Perlan 2, the record-setting, high-altitude glider, performed its first flight demo on Tuesday.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 08:36 AM ET

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The pressurized, high-altitude Perlan 2 sailplane performed a short flight Tuesday at EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. [Photo: Thom Patterson]

Key Takeaways:

Perlan 2, the record-setting, pressurized high-altitude glider, performed its first flight demonstration at EAA AirVenture, showcasing its flight characteristics after previous static displays.
In 2018, Perlan 2 set a world record for the highest crewed wingborn subsonic flight at 76,124 feet.
The glider achieves high altitudes by leveraging wave-soaring techniques, utilizing stratospheric air currents formed by mountain wave effects.
The Airbus Perlan Mission II plans to return to Argentina in 2023 to attempt to reach Perlan 2's 90,000-foot service ceiling, conducting research on upper atmosphere weather conditions and aiming for a new world altitude record.

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Perlan 2, the record-setting, pressurized high-altitude glider, performed its first flight demonstration at EAA AirVenture Tuesday, with help from the flight test team’s unique Grob Egrett turboprop.

During previous visits to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Perlan 2 was featured in the static display, but this year, chief pilot Jim Payne and chief engineer Morgan Sandercock finally took the opportunity to showcase the flight characteristics of this unique sailplane.