Perlan2’s first wave flight over Patagonia was July 24, 2017. Tim Gardner was able to capture the unparalleled beauty of the lakes, mountains, and clouds of Patagonia. The first photo shows the town of El Calafate in bottom right. Tim uses a full tint visor which Alec photoed just before pressurization testing on the ramp. No possibility to open the vent and put the camera outside as can be done with a non-pressurized glider!
You can see the rear cockpit display and just see Jim’s helmet off set to right side in the front. They are on tow at 6,450 feet. The mostly brown ridge to the south of town shows the zigzag road to the (closed) ski area.
When Tim was taking these photos, consider that he only has a small dual pane window to shoot through. There is no manuervering for a better angle! Lago Argentino is glacier fed and turquoise blue. El Calafate airport is on the southeast side of the lake. The lift on this flight was weak, for a maximum altitude of 20,000 feet. Further west towards the Andes, the mountains were covered in clouds with no hint of wave formation. The big glacier was under cloud cover. After 2.5 hours, it was time to head for home. Total of 2.9 hours, which was an excellent test flight. The goregous Patagonia sunset offered hints of wave across the lake for future flights.
Perlan Soars!
