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 high-altitude glider, performed its first flight demonstration at EAA AirVenture, towed by a Grob Egrett turboprop.
In 2018, Perlan 2 achieved the world's highest crewed wing-borne subsonic flight at 76,124 feet pressure altitude.
The glider is scheduled to return to Argentina in 2023 to attempt reaching its 90,000-foot service ceiling for scientific research on upper atmosphere weather conditions.

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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.