Pilots to take glider to 90,000ft in record-breaking flight

Two men plan to soar 17 miles above Earth in a glider weighing less than one ton, with zero engines.

The Airbus Perlan 2 will attempt to reach 90,000 feet, which would break the previous record of 85,000.

The existing record was set in 1976 by the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

Today’s glider has an 85-foot wingspan and has just enough room for the two people on board.

The craft itself weighs 1,265 pounds, but will have a gross weight of 1,800 pounds for its flight.

The Perlan Project plan is to release the glider at 5,000 feet and use air currents off of mountains to soar to 90,000 feet.

A 7,000-foot test flight took place to measure stability, speed and efficiency.

Testing will continue this month.