Experimental Perlan 2 Glider Breaks High-Altitude Human Flight Record

Now, this is something special!

One can only hope that this tech will advance enough that the average Joe with enough pocket change will be able to enjoy flights close to the edge of space - for fun - 'TAKE MY MONEY'!



Experimental Perlan 2 Aircraft Breaks High-Altitude Human Flight Record

(CNN) — Flying an aircraft to the edge of space usually involves a jet engine, a full tank of fuel, a whole load of noise and a pilot with the kind of Right Stuff needed to reach for the stars.

Not any more.

This week the experimental Airbus Perlan Mission II pressurized glider got there by silently riding atmospheric pressure waves. And then it kept going -- smashing the record for human flight in a winged aircraft by reaching more than 76,000 feet.

This meant the flight crossed the Armstrong Line, the point in the atmosphere beyond which the blood in a human's body will boil unless it's protected.

...*The achievement, claimed on Perlan 2's Twitter feed, comes just days after the experimental glider reached *62,000 feet and a year after it hit *52,221 feet over the same region, El Calafate in Argentine Patagonia.

[*videos below]

The team use a unique closed-loop rebreather system to minimize the amount of oxygen needed to be carried.

The glider uses atmospheric pressure variations caused by the polar vortex and a related weather phenomenon called the stratospheric polar night jet to ascend farther and farther upwards. This only occurs in a few places in the world, one of which happens to be in the area around El Calafate in the Andes Mountains.

Perlan 2 was designed to soar up to 90,000 feet at the edge of space. The crew aim to continue pursuing higher altitude flights in Argentina until mid-September 2018.

While it will reach a maximum speed of about 280 mph at this height, the glider's airspeed indicator will only indicate 36 knots (about 41 mph) due to the very thin air at this elevation.

"At that height, stars are visible even during the day," Payne previously told CNN. "It'll be a lot of fun, that's for sure."

For a much larger internal cockpit view that you can zoom in on, click here


The stunning footage below was filmed during Perlan 2's September 2017 record-breaking flight to an altitude of over 52,000 feet, breaking the previous record of 50,722 feet, set in 2006;



This next stunning piece of footage was filmed during Perlan 2's second record-breaking flight, on 28th August 2018, where she reached an altitude of over 65,000 feet breaking her own previous record;



This link will take you over to a raw video on the Perlan 2 Twitter page, with onboard footage taken during their most recent record-breaking flight to an altitude of over 76,000 feet, filmed 2nd September 2018 - Linky

...and for a bonus-video, here's some onboard footage of a stratospheric tow of the glider;



What can I say?

Not a lot really, as I know next to nothing about how they pulled it off, what I can say though is this; these guys know how to have a good time, and I want in!

They need to do more research. They're still 10,000 feet below the absolute altitude record set by the SR-71 in July of 1976 at 85,069 feet. Still an impressive flight.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm under the impression that the record is simply for a glider reaching altitude during unpowered flight?

Surely it wouldn't be fair to compare a glider with an SR-71?

Would have been nice if they had a 360 cam on top.

Amazing view though.

I see they did. Great!

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Ive been saying this for a few years now. Everyone on here said atmospheric pressure wasnt the way in my thread on how intergalactical space travel would work. I think its kinda kool i knew a couple years before the rest of the world. my thread was like last year but i had it in my head for a lil over 4 years now. ** i told my friends & fam. for the past like 3 yearish. now we can learn how to self create our own atmospheric pressures for the device & transfer. its actually been like 6 years i been saying this but i lose track

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

The way it's worded they broke the record for high altitude manned flight, period.

This week the experimental Airbus Perlan Mission II pressurized glider got there by silently riding atmospheric pressure waves. And then it kept going -- smashing the record for human flight in a winged aircraft by reaching more than 76,000 feet.

Oh no! You could actually see(wait for it) the curvature of the Earth. Bang goes my flat Earth thread, I was going to put up.
Very well done, I wish I could have rode it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That caught my eye as well, I'd simply read it as it being a winged aircraft only, as opposed to a powered winged aircraft (relative noob here).

Good ol' CNN, lol,

I should have used this source, it sounds better

Airbus Perlan Mission 2 Soars to the Highest Altitude Ever Reached on a Glider

Soaring over the snow-capped Andes yesterday 28th August 2018, the engineless Airbus Perlan Mission II flew to an incredible 65,605 feet pressure altitude (19.9km) using stratospheric mountain waves to beat the current record-breaking flight set in September 2017.

The FAI is waiting for the record claim documentation to ratify this performance as a new world record. If ratified the flight would set a new record in the absolute altitude on a glider. It is the second time in just a few days that the aircraft has reached over 60,000 to beat their own existing world record.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Now THAT is accurate. I love the media reporting on aviation. It's always good for a laugh.



They're trying for the absolute record, powered or unpowered, which would be cool as hell to see. Aircraft have gone higher, but this would be sustained flight at 90,000 feet if they can do it.

a reply to: crayzeed


Don't worry, just go ahead and claim the camera has a fish-eye lens.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

yes - its unfair to compare this to the exploits of SR-71 black bird - and other multi million dollar projects that were the culmination of a superpower militarties " best efforts "

BUT

the OP source` article - is an absolute farce - horrednously written [ i state this with no hint of irony ]

it SHOULD clarrify what the record set actually is

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

massive congrats to the team - for taking the record altitude for unpowered flight to new heights

originally posted by: crayzeed
Oh no! You could actually see(wait for it) the curvature of the Earth. Bang goes my flat Earth thread, I was going to put up.
Very well done, I wish I could have rode it.

No no no didn't you know every camera fakes the curvature tut tut

a reply to: Zaphod58

The U-2 which is still in operation is also not too shabby in achieving high altitudes.

Like the SR-71 it also takes very nice pictures, much better resolution than satellite imagery.

" The US Air Force U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft first flew in 1955 and was developed by Lockheed Martin at the famous Skunk Works site. The aircraft provides continuous surveillance day and night and in all weathers. The aircraft can gather surveillance and signals intelligence data in real time and can be deployed anywhere in the world.

The U-2, which is known as the Dragon Lady, can loiter at 70,000ft (21,336m) over the area of operations for several hours and is often described as a glider due to its flight characteristics.'

Link:
www.airforce-technology.com...

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

They're trying for the absolute record, powered or unpowered, which would be cool as hell to see. Aircraft have gone higher, but this would be sustained flight at 90,000 feet if they can do it.

That would be sick, to be fair. I often watch those videos of high altitude flights on youtube (I find them relaxing), I'd love a silent 2-hour remix from a glider at 90,000 feet, for sure,

a reply to: lunarcartographer

If Zaph doesn't already know what you're talking about, I'll go out to the shed, find a rusty saw, and proceed to cut my good leg off and begin kicking myself to death with it (by swinging it with my good arm).

Lol

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Zaph has handled many U-2s, from being on the runway for landing and launch, to just getting them to parking.

a reply to: Zaphod58

That right there is living the dream man, living the dream.

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Had a pilot let me try some of his food once. It's all in tubes that feed through the side of the helmet.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I like the U2, titan skid plates, chase cars... Have you ever been able to sit in one during a chase? I know you have to be a pilot but maybe on the passenger seat?