25/07/2002 | Posted by Peter at 07:49 PM
Steve Fossett, the first man to fly solo round the world in a balloon, is planning a world gliding altitude record attempt in New Zealand. The Perlan Project (see http://www.firnspiegel.com/perlan/), based in Omarama, New Zealand, is planning a two-stage attack on the world gliding altitude record (at present held by Robert R. Harris, USA, at 14,938m) using stratospheric mountain waves. In phase 1, Fossett and co-pilot Einar Enevoldson plan to reach 62,000 feet (19,000 m) wearing pressure suits in an unpressurized glieder (DG 505). The second part of the plan is to got to 100,000 feet (30,000 m) in a pressurized glider. For more details an progress reports see the above web site.
