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...
For Airbus Perlan Mission II, the Egrett team makes it possible to soar to record heights. The Perlan Project was organized to investigate stratospheric waves above 35,000 feet. Below that altitude, the tropospheric wave has been much more explored and understood....
When you are in a remote location communication devices don't always work as expected. That's why some Perlan Project team members have worked several days to understand the idiosyncrasies of emergency communications for 2023 (if ever needed). Thanks to Sandra, Tago,...
This morning with 2 inches of fresh snow overnight I would not have given a chance to get a flight off. I would have been wrong. Jim asked for best efforts from the entire team and we delivered. A shakedown flight with the world's most complex glider is far...
We were ready for a Airbus Perlan Mission II Dress Rehearsal yesterday, before the snow arrived today. For the past few days the Perlan Team has fine tuned all glider systems and support teams. Tim Gardner and John Kregl replaced a control rod end in the wing. With...
To prep the Airbus Perlan Mission II team for a successful Patagonia campaign in 2023 takes an incredible amount of exacting work in very cold conditions. There is no room for error. We've done this four previous years and we know to be thorough and meticulous. It...
When Airbus Perlan Mission II conducts a "high" tech campaign in remote Patagonia we must take everything we need plus any spares with us. We started packing in April. The glider trailer was designed to fit into a standard 40 foot shipping container - as long as we...
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...
Flight #74 – Weak Wave On August 30, 2023 the forecast wave conditions had improved marginally from dismal to merely difficult. But the support teams had worked hard on various squawks from the previous flight. Perlan 2’s wings were removed to check the full travel...