Question

A helicopter flying 1,600 feet above the ground spots an airplaneflying above. If the horizontal distance between the helicopter andairplane is 3,055 feet and the angle of elevation is 71°, find theairplane’saltitude

Answer 1

Answer:

10472. 4 ft

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the height of the plane above the helicopter be "h"  

We have a right triangle  where  the side opposite the 71 degree angle  =  h   and the side adjacent to this angle =  3055

So   we can use the tangent here

tan (71)  =  h / 3055       multiply both sides by 3055

3055 * tan (71)  =  h ≈   8872.4  ft

So.......the total altitude of the plane is

1600 + 8872.4  =

10472. 4 ft