Follow Perlan flights live

[danlj]

http://www.perlanproject.cloud/VirtualCockpit.html
Flying now, probably Thursday; not Wednesday.

[danlj]

Weather consistently less favorable for wave than the models forecast.
Next flight now anticipated Saturday 18 August.
DrDan

[danlj]

On Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 3:03:12 PM UTC-5, danlj wrote:
> http://www.perlanproject.cloud/VirtualCockpit.html
> Flying now, probably Thursday; not Wednesday.

Today, Friday, 8/17: Perlan expected to fly in about two hours -- 12:30 eastern, 9:30 Pacific time. The atmospheric models predict somewhat weak lift, but, as Meteorologist Extraordinaire Dan Gudgel says, "Model forecasts are virtual reality." A balloon was launched at dawn, and shows, as usual, winds aloft to be stronger that the models predict.

Tow will take about an hour, to about 40,000 ft, to get above the tropopause and contact wave in the Polar Night Jet.

If usable wave is contacted, flight testing will be done every 5,000 ft to a maximum to 60,000 ft. After the flight has achieved whatever's possible, the Perlan will explore downwind a bit, then make an expedited descent before local sunset (and before the evening airliner arrival).

[Duster[_2_]]

Thanks for the up-to-date posts. Hope you'll continue.

For those wanting text alerts to Perlan's flights, send the message "Perlan" to
57682, then open the link danlj provided. The team is trying to provide real-time video from different stations on the glider.

[Duster[_2_]]

Thanks for the up-to-date posts. Hope you'll continue.

For those wanting text alerts to Perlan's flights, send the message "Perlan" to
57682, then open the link they send. The team is trying to provide real-time video from different stations on the glider, haven't seen that yet.

They are now at the 40,000ft release altitude @ 1:40pm EST.

[danlj]

On Friday, August 17, 2018 at 9:37:45 AM UTC-5, danlj wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 3:03:12 PM UTC-5, danlj wrote:
> > http://www.perlanproject.cloud/VirtualCockpit.html
> > Flying now, probably Thursday; not Wednesday.
>
> Today, Friday, 8/17: Perlan expected to fly in about two hours -- 12:30 eastern, 9:30 Pacific time. The atmospheric models predict somewhat weak lift, but, as Meteorologist Extraordinaire Dan Gudgel says, "Model forecasts are virtual reality." A balloon was launched at dawn, and shows, as usual, winds aloft to be stronger that the models predict.
>
> Tow will take about an hour, to about 40,000 ft, to get above the tropopause and contact wave in the Polar Night Jet.
>
> If usable wave is contacted, flight testing will be done every 5,000 ft to a maximum to 60,000 ft. After the flight has achieved whatever's possible, the Perlan will explore downwind a bit, then make an expedited descent before local sunset (and before the evening airliner arrival).

17 August, 11:34pm EDT -- the next flying day may be Sunday; wave forecast is not terrific, but if we've learned anything, it's that the wave models are somewhat vaguely connected to reality -- due to a lack of reality-centered data in the southern pacific.

[Duster[_2_]]

Can you tell us a little about yourself and involvement with the Perlan II team? What forecasting tools do you use to predict wave? Thanks.