The Airbus Perlan Mission II has wrapped up 2019 Campaign IV flights in Argentina. The team members have returned to homes across America and around the world. The Perlan 2 glider is on its way back to the space glider’s home in Minden, Nevada.Season IV was a great...
Weather is what ultimately powers a soaring flight and that's exactly the case for Perlan 2. In 2019 Airbus Perlan Mission II started soaring over Patagonia on August 20. Barely over a week later a rare major atmospheric event for the South Pole called Sudden...
Flight 65 to 65,000 feet In 2019 Airbus Perlan Mission II has been ready to fly, but the stratospheric wave lift has been practically unusable above 60,000 feet. (see future Stratospheric Warming blog) The team kept a positive attitude and we launched every chance...
Einar Enevoldson, named the Perlan Project after the rare polar stratospheric clouds that glow pink and blue in the early evening and morning. They are jewels in the stratosphere. These polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) are known in Scandinavia as “Perlan clouds”...
The Airbus Perlan Mission II team operates with around 25 volunteers. But not everyone can take 6-8 weeks away from work and families. So we repeatedly say "Hail and Farewell" to inbound and outbound team members. The night of 5 September we welcomed Kristina Messner...
Aviation measurements can be confusing when different numbers are used to describe similar terms. In the following blog we will compare the useage of the term altitude - pressure and GPS, as well as the usage of the term airspeed - indicated and true. ALTITUDE When...
In the non-wave season Airbus Perlan Mission II took the opportunity to prioritize desirable upgrades to our systems. 2019 was extremely productive for improvements and completely new add-ons. After the first wave flight of the year, Jim summed it up: “Flight 0060 was...
On August 28, 2019 Perlan 2 took to the skies over the Andes looking for Patagonia wave. This flight took extraordinary effort on the part of Airbus Perlan Mission II team. But we "got 'er done"! During the preflight procedures, not one but two potentially flight...
It was a perfect day for a check flight and photo chase mission. Crystal blue skies, no clouds, and no winds - Argentina Patagonia at its finest. Perlan 2 leaped skyward with test pilots Jim Payne and Miguel Iturmendi behind the mighty Egrett...
On August 20, 2019 Airbus Perlan Mission II soared in Patagonia skies for the first time this campaign. With the long delay on the container, the Perlan team was ready to launch Perlan 2 for a return to service flight. Jamie Darcy had his video crew and photo chase...
Argentine Organizational Supporters of Perlan Sandra Sandercock is Perlan’s liason with Argentina governmental organizations. She was busy in the months leading up to our time in Argentina setting up future meetings and completing the necessary documents. During the...
Loading Day and Last Team Dinner With Monday morning’s sunrise the Perlan was in the trailer, the container was ready for inspection, the Egrett was ready to start the long ferry home, the Tribal truck was at the airport and the crane was booked for the afternoon. For...
Farewell Argentina Multiple weather studies for the next week did not show stratospheric waves of sufficient strength to soar to high altitude. So we made the tough, bittersweet decision to pack up and return to Minden. In El Calafate in 2023 Airbus Perlan Mission II:...
For the third and final blog on Support Teams for Airbus Perlan Mission II we look at several team members who wear many hats. Of special note are the words from our 3 Perlan Interns and their observations about their past two months in El Calafate. Argentine Liason –...
Perlan Support Teams – Part Two As I said in Part One we are so fortunate to have such diverse talent on our team to support Airbus Perlan Mission II. This blog is to highlight each team member’s supporting role in their own words. Most have been on multiple Argentina...
Perlan Project Support Teams - Part One Airbus Perlan Mission II is incredibly fortunate to have a team of dedicated volunteer specialists. It takes a huge amount of work to put Perlan 2 into the air to safely hunt for stratospheric wave. These support teams are the...