Blog posts | Perlan Project

Perlan Team Arrives in El Calafate

The Perlan Team gathered in Buenos Aires to fly together to El Calafate. Jim and Jackie Payne met Dan Gudgel and Mike Malis in Atlanta. Georgia thunderstorms caused some delays. But we had hours to spare in Buenos Aires.

You usually transfer between airports EZE (International) and AEP (Domestic). The Tienda Leon bus had a wifi hot spot and the chairs were definitely more comfortable than airline coach. We passed by spectacular old and modern buildings in Buenos Aires.

First Wave of Perlan Team in Argentina

The 2018 Argentina Perlan Team is on the move! The journey is the destination. Ed and Linda Warnock led the first wave.

They made a delightful side trip to Iguazu Falls in the very north of the Argentina/Brazil jungles. Morgan and Sandra Sandercock flew into Buenos Aires early to enjoy family and some official Perlan meetings. Note she is wearing Oregon shirt and he is wearing Argentina shirt! Stewart and Elizabeth Tattersall flew into Mendoza with lots of Perlan luggage to drive Tago's truck all the way (1700 miles- 2700 km) to El Calafate.

New Rear Hatch for Perlan 2

Yes, the original hatches worked for Perlan 2 to 54,000 feet. But the team wanted perfect hatches made to exactly fit the contour of the fuselage openings. The best description of the hatch shape is a Pringle's potato chip. 3-D curvature - both compound and complex. Once the new front hatch was proved a success (see http://perlanproject.org/blog/perlan-2-perfect-pressurization-test ), Greg Scates started on the new rear hatch.

First Ever Tow with Egrett

The Perlan saga continues with a new chapter. The first ever tow by an Egrett was designed, fabricated and tested by the Perlan Project team and AV Experts. For Argentina a much more powerful tow plane had been a dream; one hour on tow to 10,000 feet was typical. Then Jim Payne said "What we really need is Einar's Egrett." The Egrett is a very large, very powerful single-seat plane capable of flying relatively slowly.

Perlan Pack and Load for Argentina

The 2018 Argentina Campaign for Airbus Perlan Mission II has begun. Sending a glider on an expedition to Patagonia is a monumentual undertaking. If you don't bring a spare with you then the campaign may end early. There is no Amazon Prime or overnight shipping. But the container is a fixed size and the Cobra special built trailer takes up most of the volume.

Special Last Flight before Argentina

Early on Saturday morning during Memorial Day Holiday the Perlan team and special guests gathered for a last check flight before packing up for Argentina. Teacher in Space Jim Kuhl's former student Drucilla's cubesat experiment about growing moss in a Mars-like environment reflected her interest in planentary science. It flew in Argentina and again on Saturday. Drucilla and her mom were able to participate in the full flight regimen.

Training in Perlan 2

Once the Perlan 2 was back in the air, a goal was to start training back up Perlan pilots. Tim Gardner is an instructor in power and gliders, teaches recovery from unusual attitudes, and has many hours of wave flying. The Perlan 2 is difficult to fly for various reasons - limited visibility, and handling lag being the primary concerns. These are compromises we live with due to pressurization and the wings optimized for 60,000 feet.

Most Memorable Soaring Record in 2017

On May 16, 2018 the National Aeronautic Association awarded Perlan Project the Most Memorable Soaring Record from 2017. This recognized the high altitude flight flown by Chief Pilot Jim Payne and Morgan Sandercock to 52,221 feet on September 3 from El Calafate Argentina. Accepting the award for the Perlan Project, Jim said it was really for all the team. "We did not do it alone." Jim noted that this was a long-held dream of Einar Enevoldson and Steve Fossett from 2006.