What causes a glider to fly?

The powered aircraft has an engine that generates thrust, while the glider has no thrust. In order for a glider to fly, it must generate lift to oppose its weight. To generate lift, a glider must move through the air. The motion of a glider through the air also generates drag.

What forces act upon a glider in flight?

Compared to a powered aircraft, we see that a glider has only three main forces acting on it: lift, drag, and weight. As before, we have collected all of the component forces together and represent them by single forces acting through the center of gravity or the center of pressure.

What forces do gliders use?

Gliders are planes without a motor. They have four forces acting on them – lift, weight (gravity), drag and thrust. Although gliders do not have their own power to provide thrust, the weight of the glider produces the thrust to keep it moving through the air by flying downwards at a shallow angle of descent.

What are the characteristics of a glider?

Gliders now have very smooth, narrow fuselages and very long, narrow wings with a high aspect ratio and winglets.

How is a glider launched?

The most common launching method is an aero-tow. A conventional powered plane tows the glider up into the sky using a long rope. The glider pilot controls a quick-release mechanism located in the glider’s nose and releases the rope at the desired altitude.

What is the formula for glide ratio?

Glide Ratio = Horizontal Distance divided by the Change in Altitude.

What makes a successful glider?

Weight and aerodynamics (airfoil) are the two important factors in determining the sink rate. The lighter the glider is, the better the sink rate. Also, an airfoil with a larger lift coefficient translates into a better sink rate. Weight is the most important of these two factors.

What is the glide ratio of a glider?

Glide ratio is the number of feet a glider travels horizontally in still air for every foot of altitude lost. If a glider has a 50:1 glide ratio, then it travels 50 feet for every foot of altitude lost. The best glide speed is the airspeed at which, in still air, the glider achieves its best glide ratio.