Table of Contents
Why do they fill gliders with water?
The sole reason for carrying water ballast is to increase the cross country speed on a task. Water ballast achieves this by increasing the wing loading of the glider. This means a high wing loading gives the glider the same sink rate but at a higher cruising speed.
What plane takes off and land on water?
seaplane
Both a floatplane and a seaplane can take-off from, and land on, water such as oceans, seas, rivers, and gulfs. Both can transport people or supplies. A floatplane is technically a type of seaplane.
What makes a glider stay in the air?
The wings on a glider have to produce enough lift to balance the weight of the glider. If the glider flies fast enough the wings will produce enough lift to keep it in the air. But, the wings and the body of the glider also produce drag, and they produce more drag the faster the glider flies.
Why do gliders jettison the water ballast before landing?
The pilot can jettison the water ballast before it becomes a disadvantage in weaker thermal conditions. Another use of water ballast is to dampen air turbulence such as might be encountered during ridge soaring. To avoid undue stress on the airframe, gliders must jettison any water ballast before landing.
Why do gliders with higher wing loading fly further?
Higher speed means higher Reynolds number. Since this number shows the ratio of inertial to viscous forces, it means that friction drag is relatively lower. The consequence is that the glider with the higher wing loading really flies a little further than the light glider when both fly at their best L/D speed.
What’s the difference between a powered airplane and a glider?
Another significant difference between powered airplanes and gliders is that gliders normally have only one landing gear, situated directly below the pilot. Having only one gear save a lot of weight, but what happens to the wings on takeoff and landing when you’ve only got one gear?
What is the difference between a motor glider and non-soaring glider?
The prime example of non-soaring gliders were military gliders (such as those used in the Second World War). They were often used just once and then usually abandoned after landing, having served their purpose. Motor gliders are gliders with engines which can be used for extending a flight and even, in some cases, for take-off.