Question

The maximum lift-to-drag ratio of the World War I Sopwith Camel was 7.7. If the aircraft is in flight at 5000 ft when the engine fails, how far can it glide in terms of distance measured along the ground?

Answer 1

The related concepts to solve this problem is the Glide Ratio. This can be defined as the product between the height of fall and the lift-to-drag ratio. Mathematically, this expression can be written as,

$R = h (\frac{L}{D})_{max}$

Replacing,

$R = 5000ft (7.7)$

$R = 38500ft$

Converting this units to miles.

$R = 38500ft (\frac{1mile}{5280ft})$

$R = 7.2916miles$

Therefore the glide in terms of distance measured along the ground is 7.2916miles