martys40s

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What is the difference between a glider and a sailplane? Thanks Marty

Lnewqban

Gliders descend during the whole flight.

Sailplanes do as gliders do, but they also have the capability of ascending when they find lifting air.

BarracudaHockey

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Depending on who is using the word they could be the same thing.

BMatthews

Yeah, for models they mean the same thing. Lawyers and english teachers would diferentiate the terms based on what Lnewqban wrote.... (just pulling your leg Lnewqban )

Technically a sailplane is an aircraft designed and intended to ride the air currents and maintain or gain height and flying time by using this free energy. A "glider" would be more like the troop gliders such as used in WW2. Some folks will also call the short and stubby training craft such as the Schweizer 2-22 a "glider" but refer to some other two seaters as "sailplanes".

rvsixer

1) The term sailplane is generally used to describe a high(er) performance glider (though the terms can indeed be used interchangeably).
2) Both are UNABLE to maintain level flight or ascend in the air mass they are flying within.
3) Both CAN maintain altitude/ascend (in relation to the ground) if a rising air mass they are flying in matches/exceeds the sink rate of the glider/sailplane.

A nice visual description:
http://www.ssa.org/sport/whatissoaring3.asp

Tony Pacini

An easy way to distinguish between the two is that gliders generally do not exceed launch height

wyowindworks

There is no difference. Ihave not found a dictionary discription that differentiates between them.

Somebody better tell all those hang-glider and para-glider pilots that they can't use thermals.

rvsixer

LOL. Again, if after launching a glider, and said glider flies into air rising faster than the gliders sink rate, it can absolutely exceed launch height. Happens often, thus making soaring flight possible. Look at the picture in my linky.

BMatthews

That may be. But it would take a HELL of a thunderhead to lift an old WW2 Waco Hadrian loaded with troops to more than the release altitude....

AmishWarlord

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Glider is a generic term for anything that glides.
Sailplane is a term for a airplane that either has no engine or just uses a small engine to gain altitude then shuts it off.

AmishWarlord

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So in RC if you say "I'm bringing my sailplane/glider" We know what you mean.

Now as to what kind of sailplane/glider you get into

hand launch
discus launch
thermal
scale
electric
motor
slope sorer

So when talking to non-RC folk you can say "I have a sailplane/glider"

When talking to RC guys use the sub category that describes exactly what your talking about. "I just put the covering on my discus glider" or "I crashed my sloper yesterday".

rvsixer

And here I thought we were in an R/C discussion forum

AmishWarlord

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LOL yeah, little plastic army men don't weigh that much.

bates517

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ok guys try thermeling a ww2 glider then go and try a schetze 126. then u will know the differance

ARUP

I think there is an arbitrary glide ratio differentiating a glider and sailplane- 20-1 or so(?). A P-38 pilot was able to gain in excess of 10,000 feet (?) with both engines shut off during an experiment. This was during the time of the Sierra Wave Project. It's a very interesting read in the book entitled 'Exploring the Monster'.

bates517

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i took a 126 sailplane on a aerial tow and unhooked at 2000 feet. then flew to 6200 feet and flew for 3 houers and 20 mins. and only landed because nature called. now that is a sailplane

AmishWarlord

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Yeah that's the problem with full scale. You can't yell out, "Hey Bob, can you fly this glider some? I got to go wee."

skeeter_ca

roflmao

skeeter_ca

Like this!

http://stevelange.net/waco/flying.html

skeeter

Bundubasher

And I thought a glider have testicles and a sailplane not....

bates517

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o wow man

xinan1000

this one glider or sailplane??? im confius....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHba8...eature=mh_lolz

evan-RCU

Niether it's an airplane, a powered one. Both gliders and sailplanes don't have motors. But like everything there are exceptions with power assist... That's the problem there are always exceptions. Take a ground effects craft over water, is it a boat or an airplane?