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A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the dynamic ... A glide bomb is a bomb with aerodynamic surfaces to allow a gliding flightpath rather ...
It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under given flight conditions. The L/D ratio for any given body will vary according to these flight conditions. For an aerofoil wing or powered aircraft, the L/D is specified when in straight and level flight. For a glider it determines the glide ratio, of distance travelled against loss of height.
A glider flying faster or slower than this airspeed will cover less distance before landing. [14] [13] A graph showing the sink rate of an aircraft (typically a glider) against its airspeed is known as a polar curve. [14] Polar curves are used to compute the glider's minimum sink speed, best lift over drag (L/D), and speed to fly. [13]
Gliders (sailplanes) have minimum sink rates of between 0.4 and 0.6 m/s depending on the class. Aircraft such as airliners may have a better glide ratio than a hang glider, but would rarely be able to thermal because of their much higher forward speed and their much higher sink rate.
Designed first successful human glider. Discovered the four aerodynamic forces of flight: weight, lift, drag, thrust; and cambered wings, basis for the design of the modern aeroplane. Spouse: Sarah Benskin Charlotte Elizabeth Illingworth: Scientific career: Fields: Aviation, aerodynamics, aeronautics, aeronautical engineering
A glider is a heavier-than-air craft whose free flight does not require an engine. A sailplane is a fixed-wing glider designed for soaring – gaining height using updrafts of air and to fly for long periods. Gliders are mainly used for recreation but have found use for purposes such as aerodynamics research, warfare and spacecraft recovery.
Aircraft flight mechanics are relevant to fixed wing (gliders, aeroplanes) and rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft.An aeroplane (airplane in US usage), is defined in ICAO Document 9110 as, "a power-driven heavier than air aircraft, deriving its lift chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surface which remain fixed under given conditions of flight".
High aerodynamic efficiency is essential to achieve a good gliding performance, and so gliders often have aerodynamic features seldom found in other aircraft. The wings of a modern racing glider are designed by computers to create a low-drag laminar flow airfoil. After the wings' surfaces have been shaped by a mould to great accuracy, they are ...