news.mcgraw-hill.com wrote:

I got the glide speed vs. weight part right, but the distance part
seemed
counterintuitive - that the total distance covered (by flying at the
correct
best glide speed for the weight) would be the same, regardless of the
weight.

Can anyone explain this so that it makes sense?

Glide distance is determined by the glide ratio (L/D ratio for the
airplane as a whole) and the altitude. If you're 1 mile up, and your
L/D is 10, you can glide 10 miles. Since the best L/D ratio for an
aircraft doesn't change with weight (although the SPEED to fly at best
L/D goes up with increasing weight), the distance you can fly isn't
dependent upon weight.

The heavier you are, the faster you'll get there, but where you get TO
is the same :-).

Howzzat?

--
Marc J. Zeitlin
http://marc.zeitlin.home.comcast.net/
http://www.cozybuilders.org/
Copyright (c) 2005