Like a surfer on a wave, Mike Zupanc balances high in the sky on a glider while taking photos of cloud formations that many of us can only ever imagine seeing.

The gliding enthusiast-turned-photographer's image of a morning glory cloud titled On Cloud Nine, will feature in the Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) 2020 calendar.

"People surf waves and for hand gliders we do the same thing," he said.

"We use an engine to help us launch off with power then we get to where the wave is and switch the engine off and just ride the waves of the cloud."

Mike Zupanc plans to keep travelling to Burketown to chase the morning glory cloud. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

Mr Zupanc's image shows the depth and uniqueness of a morning glory cloud and what it is like to look down into one.

The morning glory cloud is a specific type of roll cloud that can roll hundreds of kilometres long.

A shot taken from this year's trip to Burketown of one of the self launching gliders used by Mike. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

He said taking the shot of the cloud while being in a glider was "exhilarating".

"We flew 100 miles away from Burketown riding the wave and then turned around and flew part the way back still on the wave," Mr Zupanc told ABC Radio Brisbane's Rebecca Levingston.

"I was up at 3,000 feet when I took the photo, but with a good wave it's possible for us to can get up to 10,000 feet — I took lots of photos."

Snapping the morning glory cloud from above

To capture it, Mr Zupanc travelled from Ipswich in south-east Queensland to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

One of the gliders soaring through the air with the primary wave with a secondary wave close behind. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

Although rare, the clouds are consistently seen across the Burketown area from September to November, with several normally forming during this period.

"The visual spectacle is awesome as you take off at dawn and it's amazing to see this dark wall looming on the horizon towards you in the darkness of the early morning," Mr Zupanc said.

"It's such a unique phenomenon and the Burketown area is the only place in the world where they can be predicted and where they happen regularly.

The morning glory cloud rolls likes waves in the ocean. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

"It is a mecca for glider pilots and it is spectacular, but it is a logistical effort to get there."

Searching for the perfect air pocket

Mr Zupanc said to ensure the perfect shot was captured a number of markers needed to be ticked before take-off.

"It's easy to predict when the clouds won't be there, but there are plenty of markers that we look at before we launch," he said.

The crew head out at first light to be in the air early to catch the wave as it comes past in early hours. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

"If all the boxes are ticked, we tag off before the sunrises and head towards the ocean on the lookout."

To ensure the conditions are right, many gliders look towards micro-meteorology — metrology on a smaller scale — to predict "pockets of air" needed to get the gliders up in the air.

"We use it to look for rising pockets of air which helps us fly way that sounds simple, but predicting where the pockets are you need to understand how the weather works on a smaller scale," Mr Zupanc said.

A shot Mike Zupanc took of a large morning glory cloud stretches out towards the ocean near Burktown. ( Supplied: Mike Zupanc )

It is the gliding enthusiast's first time featured in the BOM calendar, which he said was an honour.

"I'm already making plans to do it again; the feeling is incredible and unique," Mr Zupanc said.