![]() Of course, these airstreams can't lift the Perlan 2 off the ground - it must first hitch a ride to the base of the stratosphere via a tow plane. The Perlan 2's long wings provide a large surface area that allow the waves to push the plane to higher elevations. This produces atmospheric pressure waves, which can soar to an altitude of 100,000 feet. In the Andes mountains of Argentina, these airstreams get an added boost from the polar vortex for a few weeks every year. ![]() When powerful airstreams hit mountains, they divert upward. The Perlan 2 glider is aiming to set an altitude record of 20,000 ft. the upcoming Perlan 2 flight test program, ATA Engineering, Inc. However, its wings stretch out to a span of 84 feet, and it's 33.33 feet long from nose-to-tail. The Perlan Projects engineless sailplane aircraft, the Perlan 2, is designed to glide. It weighs only 1,800 pounds - about the same as a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. Its pressurized body is just large enough to fit two pilots. The Airbus Perlan Mission II has set a new world altitude record for a glider, this time soaring the engineless Perlan 2 to 76,124 feet, in the process. But it's this design, plus its light weight, that allow the craft to reach such great heights. The Perlan 2 is no ordinary-looking plane - it resembles a plane made of silly putty that was stretched to its limit in every direction. Heating for critical items – Based on data collected during the first season of operations in Argentina, the team has installed additional heating to ensure that mission-critical systems such as the battery and the air and oxygen regulators are unaffected by the extreme cold temperatures at high altitude.Ĭontrol stick improvements – Modifications to the control sticks have been made to improve the pilot-to-aircraft interface.įlight simulator updates – The team’s flight simulator has been upgraded to improve pilot training in preparation for high altitude flights.A WEIRD, WONDERFUL PLANE. The Perlan Project‘s all-volunteer team has recently updated the experimental Perlan 2 glider, which features a pressurized cockpit, enhanced avionics and life support systems. “In today’s competitive environment, innovation can’t just be a buzzword, and Airbus Perlan Mission II is just one example of how we’re turning ideas into action.” “We’re thrilled that the Perlan 2 glider is back in the air for another season of exploration, because this endeavor inspires us all to expand the limits of our thinking,” says Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas. To reach the altitudes that will enable the aircraft to conduct its unique research, the team is searching for elusive “stratospheric mountain waves,” which only occur a few places on earth – such as Patagonia – and a few weeks out of the year. “Using that information, we’ve made improvements to the aircraft that will help us have even greater success this year, first in Nevada and later in Argentina, if the wave and weather conditions are optimal.” video & text Airbus / The Perlan Project AirbusPerlan Mission II has set a new world altitude record for a glider, by soaring the engineless Perlan 2 in t. “This past year our team gained invaluable insight and experience from flying the glider in and around the Andes Mountains,” says Ed Warnock, CEO of The Perlan Project. MINDEN, Nevada (AFP) - The space glider Perlan 2 is helping Airbus take on Silicon Valleys brightest innovators, even while pursuing technologies that might eventually lead to passenger flights. ![]() The Perlan 2 will spend spring soaring in the rising wind currents – called mountain waves – in the skies above the Sierra Nevada, before deploying in May to Argentina for its second year of flight operations in Patagonia. The Perlan 2 is a composites-intensive pressurized sailplane designed to ride air currents that, in certain mountainous regions near the north and south poles, can reach into the stratosphere. ![]() Perlan Project Pilots Jim Payne and Miguel Iturmendi soared the pressurized glider to its highest altitude to date, reaching 30,615 feet. headquarters at the Minden-Tahoe Airport. #Industry News Airbus Perlan 2 glider returns to flight and achieves new altitude best Pressurized composites-intensive glider reaches new high altitude on journey to edge of space.Īirbus Group (Toulouse, France) announced that its Airbus Perlan Mission II, an initiative to fly a glider without an engine to the edge of space to collect insights on high-altitude flight, weather and climate change, returned to flight this week at its U.S. ![]()
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