Blog posts | Perlan Project

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Blog

Perlan’s blog collects the thoughts and experiences of team members from the multiple disciplines needed to build and prepare the aircraft, plan the flight, and carry out the mission. Here, you’ll find insights from the designers, craftspeople, pilots, meteorologists, and support personnel who will make Perlan’s record ascents a reality. Perlan’s blog will be an opportunity to delve into the challenges and triumphs that travel with the giant sailplane.

Destructive Pressure Test is a Success

The destructive pressure test has been completed and we hit our engineering numbers almost perfectly.

This test was testing for the worst possible conditions expected in flight. 2000 pounds of lead were loaded onto the seats to simulate the weight of the pilots multiplied by 6 Gs of acceleration. Then the pressure was increased to the maximum expected in flight: the fuselage held the strain. Then the pressure was increased to the safety blowoff-valve pressure: it still held.

The Test Fuselage Holds Pressure

The first pressure testing has begun on the fuselage test article. This test was just checking that the hatch seals work and there are no leaks. Now that we have done this test, the whole test rig will be moved into the safety cell. In the next few tests, big chunks might fly off so we need to have them contained. The perfect container to contain the debris is a shipping container.

Some more parts have arrived – the photo above is the main wheel complete with its hydraulic disc brake.

Latest Photos from the Workshop – Feb 2012

The Windward Performance worskhop in Bend, Oregon is currently working on the fuselage that will be used for destructive testing. This is the one that has to have all of the structural details of the final aeroplane but it will be over-pressurised until is bursts. Adding those structural details is taking longer than we thought; it’s not just a simple test. We have to have the whole thing finished and nearly ready to fly before we destroy it.

Memories of Steve (2) The Stevebump

Argentina seems to have a lot of speed bumps. They have all kinds. Big ones, sharp ones, little ones, bolt-ons and more. Each time we have driven over one, Tago has said that Esquel has the worst speed bump. The “Stevebump.”“Oh no, that’s not a big bump. You should see this one in Esquel. It nearly killed Steve.”

Touring around Argentina

We are gathering lots of information for future Perlan expeditions. We have taken a few side trips to inspect different airfields that we might use in the future.

El Maiten (Photo #2) looks like it might be a useful place to outland. The runway surface is very soft, so we couldn’t launch the Perlan 2 glider from here.

Self Launch DG1001m at Chos Malal.mp4

New Video Online – DG1001m Launch

The Perlan Project 2011 expedition to Argentina has already had some great results in the Andes Wave. On a non-wave day, we have some time to shoot a few videos. Check out this video of the DG1001m self-launcher. Watch the video on YouTube here.

Big Sky in Argentina

Coming from Australia and having flown in the United States, I am used to seeing “big” skies. The kinds of places where multi-terawatts of energy are going up into the clouds and just begging for a glider to siphon off a few kilowatts. [I will always remember seeing the ground just fall away from me in Australia once.]

Memories of Steve (1)

This past week, I am spending time with Tago. Tago was employed by Steve Fossett almost from the first record attempt. He originally got invloved with the balloon circumnavigation because Tago’s home town (Mendoza) was selected by Steve as the perfect launch point for a round-the-world attempt. [This one was the one where Steve ended up in the ocean near Australia.]

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