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EXPEDITIONS
Record flights serving our causes
By pushing the boundaries of altitude, speed, and distance in gliders, our record-breaking flights become much more than technical feats: they serve as powerful showcases for our causes. Each extreme performance allows us to raise awareness among a wide audience and inspire a new generation about the aeronautical challenges of tomorrow, sustainable innovation, atmospheric science, and the role of education in meeting the future challenges that await us.
A school and partner research laboratories for each mission
Each mission is associated with an institutional partner, a specialist in their field of expertise. They will contribute both to the success of the missions and to showcasing their know-how for the benefit of the world of tomorrow.
MISSION #1. SPEED.
Accelerate. Gliders... and the ecological transition.
Chasing a glider speed record means finding the perfect trajectory in a constantly changing environment. Following cumulus cloud lines, or "cloud streets" in gliding terminology, allows pilots to push the stick forward and reach high speeds without losing too much altitude and compromising flight safety.
Partnership.
Partner school and laboratories that train engineers and researchers who are experts in aeronautics, composite materials and aerodynamics.
Participation in flight tests, optimization of the demonstrator's structures, study of aerodynamic flows, analysis of in-flight performance under engine power and selection of engine speeds adapted to the conditions. Every gram and every point of glide ratio counts.
MISSION #2. DISTANCE.
Pushing back the limits of distance that can be covered in electric flight.
Distance in gliding is inextricably linked to speed and altitude. Climb high to transition more quickly between thermals while maintaining sufficient safety margins. Fly fast to cover as much distance as possible before nightfall ends the solar radiation that generates thermals.
Partnership.
Partner schools and laboratories that train engineers and researchers specializing in eco-design and life cycle analysis.
Calculation of the overall carbon footprint of the GlidingImpact initiative and of each mission, Optimization and methods for reducing the environmental cost of the project and products.
MISSION #3. ALTITUDE.
Reaching extreme altitudes, never before attained.
Soaring in a glider to very high altitudes, where the air is thin and the cold extreme, means entering a profoundly inhospitable environment. The use of oxygen masks, temperatures dropping below -30°C, and reduced pressure demand constant vigilance.
Partnership.
Partner schools and laboratories that train engineers and researchers who are experts in atmospheric and climate sciences.
Weather routing, flight preparation, analysis of onboard atmospheric sensors, analysis of high-altitude aerial images.
MISSION #4. EXPLORATION.
Repousser les frontières. Technologiques, géographiques.
Expanding our vision and sharing it beyond borders: a unique and exceptional adventure where performance and records go hand in hand with exploration. We are pioneers—explorers above all.
Partnership.
Schools, research laboratories and international scientific teams that are committed to one of the causes we are defending, and that wish to contribute to this great technological, ecological and human exploration, by glider.
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