The magic of flight has fascinated us for well over a century. There are those who are content to sit on the ground and watch aircraft soar overhead. Many of us are excited to be passengers, modern-day jetsetters who travel the globe. But for some, the passion for flight is overwhelming, and the need to fly becomes a lifelong obsession. CNN Travel spoke to six pilots, who told us why it's cool to be a pilot.
It all starts with the winter weather in Antarctica. Glider pilots around the world regularly climb to altitudes above 20,000, or even 30,000 feet, flying in the strong lift found in mountain wave conditions. But for Perlan 2 to reach 90,000 feet, the pilots will need to jump into an express elevator in the Andes, romantically named the Stratospheric Polar Night Jet.
Making its debut at EAA AirVenture 2015 is a new aircraft that’s destined to shatter records. The Airbus Perlan Mission II will use a little-known meteorological phenomenon called the Stratospheric Polar Night Jet, to reach and fly at 90,000 feet – piloted, winged and sustained flight at over 27,400m. Perlan 2 will fly higher than the Lockheed U-2 or SR-71, but it is not an exotically-shaped or scramjet-powered superplane. It is a glider.
