Perlan 2 glider pilots Jim Payne and Tim Gardner rode an Andes mountain wave to an unofficial glider record of 76,124 feet pressure altitude Sept. 2 near El Calafate, Argentina, edging out the high-flying U–2 jet spy plane’s 73,737 feet and moving closer to the SR–71 Blackbird’s 85,069 feet. The Airbus Perlan Mission II team’s Phase 2 goal is 90,000 feet.
Source: aopaPerlan 2 glider soars to new height