Ten Years Ago Today: Steve Fossett set a gliding world record by flying to above 15,000m

Ten years ago today famous aviator Steve Fossett set a gliding world record that still stands today. Flying with former NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson the pair hit an absolute altitude of 15,460m while flying in mountain wave above the Andes in Argentina.

The flight was the successful culmination of the Perlan Project, which had been set up by Fossett and Enevoldson in 1999. The aim of the Perlan Project was to fly a glider into the stratosphere, to the edge of space.

The project was inspired by research that Enevoldson had carried out into the little-understood phenomenon of stratospheric mountain waves.

These are huge waves in the atmosphere, kicked-off by strong winds as they blow over the top of mountain ranges like the Andes. Enevoldson theorised that a glider could ride these waves all the way up to the edge of Space. He set out to prove it, and this became the Perlan Project.

Working with meteorologist Dr Elizabeth Austin, in 1998 Enevoldson proved that stratospheric mountain waves did in fact reach 39,000m. A year later, Fossett agreed to fund the Perlan Project and became one of its pilots.

Six years later Fossett and Enevoldson were in Argentina preparing for the record attempt.

“We want to fly a glider into the stratosphere,” he told Associated Press at the time. “This has never been done. In fact we think there is a possibility that we can fly a glider to 19,000m.”

He added: “In order to fly at more than 13,000m you need to wear a full pressure suit. This is a space suit.”

And indeed that is what they wore to fly the glider – the space suits were provided by NASA.