Lecture 11

Airplane descent. Gliding.

The term descent means the airplane descent on the inclined trajectory. The flight
pass angle during the airplane descent will be negative.
The equations of motion during the descent on the rectilinear trajectory ( d dt 0 )
without roll and sliding and with the small angles of attack look like this (see 8.1)
m

dV
P X a G sin ,
dt

Ya G cos .

(11.1)

With the steady descent:

P X a G sin ,
Ya G cos .

(11.2)

The first equation in system (11.2) shows that during the descent the required thrust
is less then the thrust required for the horizontal flight and is as much as G sin .
The airplane descent as well as its climb, as it was mentioned above, is unsteady
motion.
While the flight altitude H is being reduced, the air density grows and thus, at
constant C ya , the flight speed V changes (see 8.6). The flight descent on rectilinear trajectory without running engines or on idling regime is called gliding.
One can make gliding at different altitudes and at different flight pass angles. If we
consider gliding in small altitude interval and the largest values of flight pass angles then
in the first approximation one can not take into account the enviroment density changes, in
which the airplane is flying, i.e. to suppose that the flight is in homogenous enviroment
and to consider it as steady motion, taking into account that, at given angle of attack ,
i.e. at given value C ya , the flight speed V will be constant at all altitudes.

The airplane gliding is made for the following aims:

*

airplane gliding from combat altitude or from the distance flight altitude;

gliding to airdrome or approach glide.

At steady gliding, if the engine thrust is 0 , the airplane is influenced by mass force
G mg , lift force Ya and drag force X a . The latter can be replaced by the similar force
Ra . The force Ra is always directed along the vertical line and has to be as much as gravi-

ty force G .
The equation of gliding at P 0 can be derived from the system (11.2) or directly
from correlation of force acting on the plane while gliding (Fig. 11.1).

Fig. 11.1
X a G sin ,
Ya G cos .

(11.3)

The first equation of the system (11.3) is the condition of a steady speed and the second one is the condition rectilinear trajectory while gliding.
The system equations (11.3) show that the lift force while gliding is less then the

airplane gravity force and the component of the gravity force G sin acts as a thrust, i.e.,
gliding is acted upon a part of an airplane gravity.
The required gliding speed may be determined either from the condition of elift-todrag ratio of the airplane gravity force and full air force ( G Ra ), or from the second
equation of the system (11.3)
Vgl .

2G
C Ra S

where

C Ra C 2y C x2

(11.4)

or

Vgl .

2G cos
C ya gl . S

(11.5)

From the scheme forces (Fig.11.1) or from the system (11.3) the value of the flight
pass angle can be obtained at the steady gliding:
tg

Cx
Xa
1
a
Ya
C ya
K

(11.6)

It is clear from this that the trajectory steepness at a steady gliding without running
engines is fully determined by airplane aerodynamic lift-to-drag ratio.
The gliding flight pass angle can be determined by the airplane polar that should be
drawn in the same measures both for C ya and C xa

Fig. 11.2

and (Fig. 11.2).

Figure 11.2 shows that the smallest angle of gliding min is at opt . , when the aerodynamic lift-to-drag ratio is of the greatest value K max .
Having determined value C Ra from the polar curve one can also determine the gliding velocity V gl . using formula (11.4).
As fig. 11.2 shows two gliding velocities conform to each angle of gliding

min : the great velocity (at small angles of attack), the small (at large angles of attack).
The airplane gliding range is very important especially when the engine fails to operate, the more is the range of gliding the more time the pilot will have to choose the landing area.
Glide range at a given altitude is the range measured horizontally from the start
point of gliding up to the end. According to fig 11.1 the glide range is
Lgl .

H
KH .
tg

(11.7)

So, the maximum glide range from a definite altitude is at the optimum angle of attack at which the airplane lift-to-drag ratio is maximum
Lgl . max K max H .

(11.7)

The airplane gliding along a very sloped trajectory ( 60 90 ) is called diving.

While diving an altitude is lost fast and great airplane speed is developed at a comparatively short period of time. To reduce rather great speed of diving on modern airplanes
special brake flaps or air brakes are used.
Polar diagram of gliding velocity
The curve connecting the ends of velocity vectors at a steady gliding in the air at a
given density along the trajectories with the small angles of inclination to horizon is called
polar diagram of gliding velocity.

In a standard atmosphere the altitude of flight determines the air density. So the polar diagrams of velocity are marked with the height H and are different for different altitudes (Fig. 11.3).

Fig. 11.3
The steeper is the trajectory of gliding the quicker is the loss of altitude and changes
of velocity time along the trajectory. We shall consider polar diagrams of velocity on the
areas of rather shallow glide ( 25 ). At such angles of gliding the change of density
and air velocity along the trajectory per unit of time is less than at steeper trajectories and
the conclusions of the theory of steady glide are more true to life.
While drawing the part of a polar diagram of velocity of gliding with large value of
angles it is necessary to have polar of gliding for the appropriate altitude. Such a polar
is determined the same as the polar for horizontal flight in case the forces are equal
C ya

2G cos

SV

G cos
0.7 PH M 2 S

and a number of polars for different numbers M. The calculation polar diagram of velocity
in the shallow glide is made using the polar of horizontal flight.
The procedure of calculation of the polar diagram of glide velocity is as follows:
one gives the number of C ya and determines using the airplane polar the appropriate val-

ues of drag C xa . Then one finds the airplane lift-to-drag ratio K at taken values C ya and
the aerodynamic force coefficient C Ra according to the ratio:

C ya
C xa

, C Ra C 2y C x2 .
a

At shallow glide one can admit that C y C Ra . At last the flight pass angles at
a

gliding
tg

2G
1
2G cos
, Vgl .
or Vgl .
.
C Ra S
K
C ya gl . S

The procedure of calculation can be shown in the following scheme:

C ya K tg

.
C x a C Ra V

The results of calculation are shown in Fig.11.4 in the form of a polar diagram of
speed.

Fig.11.4

The first and second mode of glide.

The mode of the most shallow gliding ( min ) divides all the modes of gliding
into two branches: the branch of the first modes of gliding with the angles of attack less
then optimum ( opt . ) and the branch of the second modes with the angles of attack
more then optimum ( opt . ) (Fig.11.4). At the first gliding modes the transition to the
smaller angle of attack (push down) is accompanied by the increase booth of the speed
along the trajectory and gliding flight pass angle, pull up is accompanied by the reverse
final effect.
At the second modes of gliding steady flight the increase of angle of attack caused
by pull up declination of the control stick, leads to the increase of flight pass angle and
to decrease of trajectory speed. Transmission to the smaller angles of attack within the second gliding modes (the control stick push down) results in increase of speed along the
trajectory and reduce the gliding flight pass angle. Thus, the reverse action of elevator in
respect to steady gliding flight pass angle at the second gliding modes takes place.
The airplanes glide at the first modes. The gliders also use the second modes in the
interval from the most shallow glide mode to the mode of the smallest vertical descent
speed V y min (Fig. 11.4).
The highest lift-to-drag ratio and the least descent speed are rather important glider
specifications. The first one indicates gliders capability at range flight and the second
shows its soaring characteristics.