Unlike conventional powered planes, the DataBird does not have an altitude ceiling. Rather there are a number of factors which may affect how high it gets, they are:

• Balloon limitations - a typical meteorological weather balloon can reach altitudes of 35km before bursting. At this altitude the balloon will be about 8 times the diameter to that at sea-level.
• Jet-stream drift - above the troposphere jet-stream winds of more than 200 km/hr are common, although this does not limit the altitude obtainable, it does require adding alternative landing sites. The DataBird is capable of determining when there are no landing-sites available and will release just prior.
• At high altitudes the air is too thin to support winged flight at sub-sonic speed, so the glider will free-fall after release until about 13 kms, where it assumes control.