In article ,
"pintlar" wrote:

It is correct the AB-320 has a 1:15 glide ratio at zero power?
Those pilots also said a B-52 and a grand piano have identical glide
ratios.
**********************
. . . .I long time ago a Canadian pilot nursed a fuel exhausted 737 (mistake
at fuel loading between US and metric gallons) over 100 miles in British
Colombia to land at an abandoned military runway at that time being used as
a auto drag strip. He too was a glider pilot.

Not quite correct. Google "gimli glider"...

The aircraft was a 767, the flight took off from Montreal and made its
forced landing in Gimli, Manitoba, I don't think they made it 100 miles,
....

....and the confusion as caused by an incorrect conversion from litres to
kilograms and back again, leading to an incorrect amount of fuel being
added in Montreal (they used the figure for litres to pounds and so
ended up with 22,300 lb of fuel and not 22,300 kg).


For further details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

. . . .Then there is the biggest AirBus in the 80's or 90's going East, a
tremendous distance, to glide to the Azores after losing its fuel during a
near fatal fuel transfer process ( damaged piping) to balance the plane. He
landed hotter than hell but managed to get it stopped.
. . . .It is hard to believe those swept, thin profile airliner wings are
more efficient than those on the 182's. While the 182 wings must be 'low
wing load' type, one would imagine the airliner wing to be the opposite and
not as efficient. Strange, but evidently not true. I would think the drag
of two engine nacelles and windmilling engines, would also lower the drag
ratio. Again, seems I'm wrong.
. . . .The British fibre glass 'home built' two seater that the TV serial
was made about, (the British Vetinarinan pilot/builder), had its wings
designed by an AirBus engineer. They were supposedly very efficient wings.
Too bad that company is no longer offering those kits. That was a beautiful
plane.

--
Alan Baker
Vancouver, British Columbia
http://gallery.me.com/alangbaker/100008/DSCF0162/web.jpg