Meet the Team

Einar, a lifelong glider pilot, former jet fighter pilot in the USAF, and exchange officer with the Royal Air Force attended the Empire Test Pilot...

Jim Payne started soaring at the Air Force Academy in 1971. At the Academy he made his first wave flight and was immediately hooked. His paper...

Ed has a BS in Aerospace Engineering (Honors and high Distinction) from the University of Arizona and an MA in Systems Theory. When he was working...

Morgan Sandercock is a glider pilot from Australia. Morgan is the Chief Flying Instructor at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club.

Morgan works...

Miguel A. Iturmendi is a native Spaniard, but has called Florida home for the last 20 years. Miguel holds degrees in Aeronautical Science, Space...

Tim Gardner joined the Perlan project after meeting Miguel Iturmendi at the Minden Wave camp in 2013.
He works full time for Hitachi Data...

James Darcy is Airbus Vice President of Communications for the Americas. He leads a team of communicators responsible for the full range of...

Armistead Sapp retired in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of SAS Institute.  As head of SAS’ Research and...

Michael joined the Perlan Project in the fall of 2009 after reading an article in Soaring which called for volunteers to participate. His...

Espartago (Tago) De Pietro, an American who grew up in Mendoza, Argentina, was in charge of coordinating the operations and logistics for the...

Dr. Elizabeth Austin, the articulate and dynamic President of WeatherExtreme Ltd, is...

Sandra has a degree in Systems Analysis from the University of Instituto Técnologico Buenos Aires (ITBA). She has worked for the Argentine Air...

After a three-year hiatus, JDM returns to Perlan, this time as Data Scientist. In 2010, JDM co-founded The Perlan Project 501c3, and for seven...

Linda brings a wealth of international experience to the Perlan Project. After earning a BA in Spanish, Linda worked abroad for 7 years with an...

Dennis earned a B.S. in astronautics and aeronautics from NYU College of Engineering, and a M.S. and honorary doctorate of engineering from...

Stéphane has 25 years of experience in the aerospace and computer industries. He began his career as an engineer for Aerojet-Electrosystems, now...

Lars Bensch soloed in gliders when turning 14 years old and likes flying all kinds of light aircrafts. He is a private pilot flight instructor...

Testing since 1984, Al is a multi-engine commercial instrument pilot, glider and motorglider pilot, Piper Cherokee owner, and Flight Analyst DER...

Dr. Dan’s life story

He’s lived mostly within 100 miles of the Twin Cities, half in Minnesota and half in Wisconsin, which has...

Mike is an active commercial glider and tow pilot with over 2000 hrs and 35 years experience. Mike recently retired form Lockheed Martin as a...

Alan is a Captain and Check Airman for American Airlines and lives in Grapevine, Texas with his wife Karen. Alan grew up in the United States (...

Silvio F Ricardi grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with dreams of being a crop duster. In 1989, he moved with his family to Melbourne,...

Stewart began living near Lake Tahoe 25 years ago and has been flying since 2000. He has been watching the weather since he was young as a skier...

BORN February 25, 1937 in General Roca province of Rio Negro Argentina. Cholo was selected tow pilot of the year in Argentina in 2017. He set a...

Osvaldo is a lawyer, glider pilot and flight instructor living in Argentina. He is a world record holder in the Speed Triangle Course of 100K...

Gabe is an A&P mechanic with Inspection Authorization  (IA).  He is also an Airline Transport Pilot with commercial privileges for airplane...

An electrical engineer, Eric worked for Battelle Memorial Institute on the Hanford Project, where they operate Pacific Northwest National...

Tom Payne is an electrical engineer and serial entrepreneur who now utilizes his expertise and success to support new ventures as an investor and...

A test pilot for the US Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Roger is a member of the Test Pilot School (TPS) and part of the F-16...

Dean has 34 years’ experience as a technical writer working for electronics and engineering firms.  He documented systems and processes for “...

Reba Coombs retired from Nevada state government after 25 years employed in all three branches of government primarily as an executive assistant...