medflyer
Now, point the nose downhill...assuming a power off glide (ie: no thrust) the weight still (always) acts towards the centre of the earth and will equal lift; therefore if the a/c weighs 300,000 pounds you will have lift of 300,000 pounds; however you must now picture a component of weight acting forward along the declined flight path; it is THIS component that will counteract the drag acting on the aircraft; ie: Drag of 50,000#, weight of 300,000# (acting downward to the centre of the earth; ie: gravity), lift of 300,000#; thrust nil, component of weight acting FORWARD perpendicular to the flight path 50,000#.
I strongly suggest you don’t give an answer like that at your CX interview because it is dead wrong. Aerodynamics is something that you should have a good understanding of. I suggest you get a copy of the book I quoted, as it will quite clearly show you that I am right. To clarify my point, imagine an aircraft that has an excess power to weight ratio. What do you think happens to the angle of attack as you approach the vertical? Before you answer the question, keep in mind where the relative airflow is coming from. The angle of attack drops to zero. Now if we have a zero angle of attack what happens to the CL? It drops to zero. If CL of lift is zero what happens to lift? I’ll leave that for you to work out. To make it easier I have provided the lift formula for you, just in case you have forgotten it.
An aircraft's lift capabilities can be measured from the following formula:
L = (1/2) d v2 s CL
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L = Lift, which must equal the airplane's weight in pounds
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d = density of the air. This will change due to altitude. These values can be found in a I.C.A.O. Standard Atmosphere Table.
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v = velocity of an aircraft expressed in feet per second
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s = the wing area of an aircraft in square feet
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CL = Coefficient of lift , which is determined by the type of airfoil and angle of attack.
PS: Have a look at some of the other posts I have put on this sight for wannabes. I don’t have a reputation for leading people up the garden path. There are a few of us here that put in a considerable amount of time and effort to help people like you with the CX interview process. Bighting off the hand that is trying to help you isn’t a good idea.