A Glider Is Always Descending Through the Air
To glide is to move smoothly without effort. A glider is always sinking relative to the air, even while climbing above the ground.
To glide is to move smoothly and continuously without apparent effort. A glider is always descending through the air it is flying in, converting height into forward motion. Pilots gain altitude by finding air that is rising faster than they are sinking — a thermal or a ridge lift — so the aircraft climbs relative to the ground while still sinking relative to the air. In phonetics a *glide* is a sound like the y in yes, moving from one position to another.
- To move smoothly. *Swans glide past.*
- To fly without power. *The plane glided in.*
- Glider — an engineless aircraft. *A glider.*
- Glide path — an approach angle. *On the glide path.*
- Glide — a phonetic sound. *A semivowel glide.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | glide | It glides. |
| Past | glided | It glided. |
| Noun | glide | A smooth glide. |
| Agent | glider | A glider. |
| Old English | glidan | To glide. |
- The swan glided across the lake.Movement.
- The glider found a thermal.Flying.
- It is always sinking through the air.Physics.
How gliders stay up
- Thermals — columns of warm air rising from heated ground
- Ridge lift — wind deflected upwards by a slope
- Wave lift — standing waves downwind of mountains
- Glide ratio — distance forward per unit of descent, often above 40 to 1
- The aircraft always sinks relative to the air around it
Old English *glidan*, to move smoothly, from a Germanic root related to *glad*, which originally meant smooth or shining.
How do gliders gain height?
By flying in air that rises faster than the glider sinks, such as a thermal or air deflected up a ridge.
What is a glide ratio?
How far a glider travels forward for each unit of height lost. Modern designs exceed forty to one.