How Glider Pilots Get There Faster: The optimisation of flight paths for sailplanes

Authors

  • Frank Irving

Keywords:

Aerodynamics, Design, Training, Coaching

Abstract

During the last few years, considerable advances have been made in understanding optimal strategies for cross-country flying using atmospheric convection. The MacCready concept has been clarified and the dynamics of dolphin flying are well understood. There are indications that more satisfactory instruments together with rules for their use may emerge from these considerations. The optimisations considered here are not the only ones to have received recent attention. There is, for example, the whole matter of using cloud streets when they are at some angle to the desired mean track.

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Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (1983)

Section

Articles

License

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