Sailplanes and Gliders

Aviation in general involves plenty of mathematics, but we recently talked to Bret at Sky Sailing about how math comes into play in the piloting of sailplanes and gliders. This week we showed our interview with Bret and he explained many different instances of how math and mathematical thinking are necessary skills for flying these amazing crafts. He talked about making sure that the center of gravity of the plane with its passengers is within a certain range; otherwise the plane can be out of balance and can't fly. He also mentioned the "glide ratio" of a plane which is very similar to the algebraic concept of slope. Wind affects a plane's ground speed and navigation, so the speed of the wind must be factored into distance computations and navigation decisions. Brett also mentioned that he is constantly evaluating angles to locations on the ground while in the plane, especially when landing. It's probably no surprise that he also deals with conversions between units as well.

It is well worth visiting Sky Sailing in Warner Springs and going for a ride!

More information: Wikipedia entry for sailplanes and gliders