| Perlan II | |
|---|---|
| Role | Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Windward Performance |
| Designer | Greg Cole |
| First flight | Spring 2013 (forecast) |
| Status | Under development |
| Primary user | Perlan Project |
The Windward Performance Perlan II (English: Pearl) is an American mid-wing, two-seats-in-tandem, pressurized, experimental research glider that was designed by Greg Cole and is being built by Windward Performance for the Perlan Project.[1]
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The Perlan II is a follow-up design to the successful Perlan I and has as its design goal a flight exceeding 90,000 ft (27 km) in altitude. The project's goals include science, engineering and education. The aircraft will be used to study the polar vortex and its influence on global weather patterns.[1]
The aircraft is made from composites. Its 83.83 ft (25.55 m) span wing has a high aspect ratio of 27:1 and is equipped with airbrakes. The pressurization system produces a 8.5 psi differential, although the two-person crew will wear pressure suits for safety. The landing gear is a retractable monowheel gear. Because the aircraft will operate at extreme altitudes, in only 3% of sea level atmospheric pressure, it will also be flying at true airspeeds in excess of 0.5 Mach.[1]
The original funding for the Perlan Project was provided by Steve Fossett and he flew the Perlan I, along with test pilot Einar Enevoldson to a glider altitude record of 50,761 ft (15 km) in the mountain waves of El Calafate, Argentina on 30 August 2006. Fossett was killed in a light aircraft crash a year later and the project floundered without funding. Since then more than US$2.8M has been raised to build the Perlan II, including a donation from Dennis Tito.[1]
The Perlan II is expected to fly in early 2013 and will start with some flights in the US Sierra Nevada mountain wave. The record setting and research flights are intended to be flown in southern Argentina, by Einar Envoldson.[1]
Data from FreeFlight[1]
General characteristics
Performance
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