The Perlan 2 stratospheric glider flew to 52,172ft over the Andes mountains last month, establishing a new world altitude record for sailplanes and marking a key step on the way towards an eventual target of 90,000ft. (See also Aviation News July 2016.)
The 82ft span pressurised aircraft’s record altitude was aided by stratospheric mountain waves which developed over South America in early September. The favourable weather pattern occurred just days before the Airbus sponsored Perlan Mission II project team was due to complete its 2017 southern winter test campaign and return to its base in Minden, Nevada.
The longest Perlan 2 flight at 6.6hr, it was flown by chief pilot Jim Payne and copilot Morgan Sandercock.
The flight was an important step towards using the Andean waves to reach even higher altitudes where Perlan hopes to intersect with a seasonal polar jetstream wind that circles the South Pole at speeds up to 260kt. Using this mechanism, the team hopes to achieve sustained flight at altitudes where the Perlan could support investigations into phenomena ranging from climate change and radiation impacts on crew to control concepts for future exploration vehicles operating in low-density altitudes like that of Mars.
- Report by John King, photographs sourced via internet.