For K-12 Students · Glide Performance
Glide Performance for a glider
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a glider live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Glide PerformanceLive
how far from how high
Controls
Presets
An unpowered aircraft trades height for distance. Its glide ratio, L/D, is exactly how many meters forward it travels per meter of descent — a modern glider does 50:1. The shallow glide angle is set only by L/D, not weight, while the sink rate and time aloft depend on speed. Vital knowledge after an engine failure.
Data Inspector
Glide range15.0 km
Glide angle3.8°
Sink rate2.0 m/s
Time aloft8.3 min
Governing equation
Reading this result: Glide angle depends only on L/D, so the range scales straight with altitude; speed changes how fast you sink and how long you stay up, but not how far you reach.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Glide Performance for a glider" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.