PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why does a light aircraft descend faster than a heavy one?
Old 5th September 2001 | 14:30
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1.3VStall
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Joined: Jun 2000
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From: East Anglia
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Chaps,

Belle is absolutely spot on. An aircraft's L/D ratio (i.e. glide angle) is not affected by weight. However, for a given aerodynamic configuration, as the aircraft weight increases the speed at which the best L/D is achieved also increases.

This is precisely why we glider pilots carry hundreds of pounds of water ballast in our high-performance sailplanes on good cross-country soaring days. We are able to fly at higher inter-thermal speeds more efficiently.
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