Gliding

Gliding is when an object or animal goes through the air without active flight. All gliders use an aerofoil to slow their rate of descent. Glider planes have wings, and gliding animals have membranes which they stretch out. By using rising air they can prolong their stay in the air. The word 'soaring' describes this, and is also used for the sport of gliding.

Air will rise if it is heated by the ground or if it is deflected by mountains. Improvements in aerodynamics, in instruments and in the understanding of the weather have allowed flights over great distances at high speeds. The world record distance is now over 3000 km.

Animals

Many birds are good at gliding some Seabirds like the great frigatebird can fly for serval weeks without stopping.^[1] They evolved to do this because they needed to use less energy.^[2] Some examples of birds that can glide are:

They use the same types of lift as man-made gliders.

Glider airplanes

Main article: Glider

History

A glider plane called the "Schneider DFS 108-14 SG-38" it was used heavily in training new pilots for the Luftwaffe (German air force) this type of airplane was made 10,000 times.

The development of the Glider started after World War I because the Weimar Republic (the name for Germany from 1918-1933) were not allowed to make airplanes with engines^[3] so instead they made gliders. In 1936 Gliding was demonstrated (shown off) at the Summer Olympics in Germany.

Gliders were used to move troops and equipment in World War II. The countries that had them were The United States, The United Kingdom, and Germany. However unlike normal Gliders for the most part these planes could not use rising air to stay up in the sky.

Gliders were also used in several Air forces as training aids and in their cadet programs.

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Gliding Media

The "gull wing" Göppingen Gö 3 Minimoa produced in Germany from 1936
3D plot of 3 minutes from a flight of a glider flying 5 loops to ride a vertical thermal. Rate of climb was 3 meters/second. No vertical exaggeration.
Circling in thermal lift during a competition
Good gliding weather: Competitors studying cumulus humilis, which suggest active thermals and light winds.
A Scimitar glider ridge soaring in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania US
Using mountain ridges to gain altitude
A lenticular cloud produced by a mountain wave
Schematic cross section through a sea breeze front. If the air inland is moist, cumulus often marks the front.
First Aerotowing by Raab-Katzenstein 1927
Flying a glider. The start of the flight is done by tow-plane
Flying a glider. A winch is used to get airborne.
Georgij Kaminski' demonstration flight on the 90th anniversary of the gliding sport of Russia. S-1 Swift glider.