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Old 17th Jan 2008, 23:31
  #118 (permalink)  
Mad (Flt) Scientist
 
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@ D O Guerrero

You are correct that best glide speed is not stall speed, and an indefinite glide is best achieved at best glide speed.

However, gliding involves exchanging potential energy for kinetic energy (or, using a gravity component along the flight path to combat drag). If you were trying to extend a glide, and were, say, 500ft AGL, at say 1.3vs, you might be better off trying to use up some of the stored KE represented by the speed rather than simply use up that 500ft. Exactly what the best energy management would be is dependent on a lot of aircraft dependent factors, but hitting the ground at your lowest possible flying speed does ensure there was no wasted energy left which might have been used to extend the glide.
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