Perlan Project

The Perlan Project, Inc.
Company typeNon-operating private foundation
IRS 501(c)(3)
Founded1992
FounderEinar Enevoldson
Number of locations
Beaverton, Oregon, USA
Area served
Global
Key people
Einar Enevoldson, Founder and chairman
Elizabeth Austin, Chief Meteorologist
Ed Warnock, CEO
Jim Payne,Chief Pilot
Morgan Sandercock, Donor and Project Manager
Dennis Tito, Major Donor
Stéphane Fymat, Head of Build and Fundraising
ProductsAerospace and Atmospheric Science Research, Development, Innovation and Education
Websitewww.perlanproject.org
Arctic stratospheric cloud (Mother of Pearl cloud)

Perlan Project Inc. is a not-for-profit aeronautical exploration and atmospheric science research organization that utilizes sailplanes (gliders) designed to fly at extremely high altitudes.

On 29 August 2006 Steve Fossett and Einar Enevoldson, the pilots of Perlan Mission I, broke the existing altitude record for gliders by soaring up to 50,671 feet (15,460m) in a standard glider using stratospheric waves of air.

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has ratified the altitude record of 22,657 metres (74,334 ft) achieved on 2 September 2018,[1] a substantial improvement over the previous year's best altitude of 15,902 metres (52,172 ft), which was set on 3 September 2017.[2][3][4] These flights used the custom designed and built pressurized high-altitude Windward Performance Perlan II glider, sponsored by Airbus. They also collected data about Earth's atmosphere and its ozone layer.

  1. ^ "Records". FAI. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference altituderecords was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Perlan Press Release". Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Airbus Perlan Mission II Soars into History, Sets New World Record for Glider Altitude | Airbus". 28 October 2021.