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Old 11-27-2005 | 11:31 AM
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B.L.E.
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Default RE: trainer into glider?


ORIGINAL: mikmaxx

Im pretty fast lol. So if I had a slight wind and was running as fast as I can into it and threw itas hard as I could would I be able to have enough flight time to turn it around and land it!
No! It would be like doing a deadstick go-around with the plane only about head high. All you would be able to do is glide forward to a landing.

Trainers are excellent gliders but they are crummy sailplanes. Kill the engine while up in the air and, presto!, instant glider! They are almost easier to land deadstick than under power. The space shuttle is a glider but it aint no sailplane.
BTW, weight, e.g. ballast, is not nesessarily a bad thing in a glider. It improves the plane's ability to penetrate headwinds without having a high sink rate. Full scale sailplanes often have tanks for water ballast which can be dumped before landing.