☰: Glider
A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(aircraft)
Altitude: 22657m
See: Perlan
Stratospheric glider.
Status: Inactive
Site: https://perlanproject.org/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlan_Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windward_Performance_Perlan_II
Specifications:
- Crew: 2
- Length: 10.16m
- Wingspan: 25.55m
- Height: 2.21m
- Wing area: 24.4m2
- Aspect ratio: 27.1
- Empty weight: 574kg
- Gross weight: 816kg
- Never exceed speed: 698km/h true airspeed, 104km/h indicated (0.633 Mach)
- Service ceiling: 27000m
- Reached altitude: 22657m
- g limits: +6/-4
- Maximum glide ratio: 43
News: https://perlanproject.org/awards-news/#news-releases last updated 2023-12-21
Super-laminar flow solar-powered glider.
Status: under development
Claimed: prototype flight at 2025 Q4
Company: Otto Aerospace
DARPA: Albatross glider
Last news: https://ottoaerospace.com/news/otto-aviation-reveals-super-laminar-uav-for-darpa/
Site: https://www.meteomatics.com/en/meteoglider/
Company: Meteomatics
Specifications:
- Lightweight, 250-gram foam glider.
- Equipped with a radiosonde and sophisticated guidance system.
- Carried by a weather balloon to altitudes of 30-35 kilometers.
- Returns to launch site or a designated GPS location.
- Collects high-quality atmospheric data comparable to conventional radiosondes.
- Designed for multiple uses.
- Maximizes the lifespan of its lithium battery and electronic components (hundreds of operational hours).
Speed: 882km/h
- SUAV:Top: Glider speed record.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eFD_Wj6dhk
News: https://www.aerosociety.com/news/a-need-for-speed/
