๐ŸŽฒ

๐Ÿš€ Inventions and machines โœˆ๏ธ In the air

Gliders

Gliders

๐Ÿ“– In short

A glider is a plane with no engine! It flies quietly through the sky like big birds that soar without flapping their wings. It has two long, thin wings and relies on air currents to stay up.

๐Ÿคฉ Did you know?

  • Some skilled pilots have flown about 1600 kilometers in a glider.
  • The tow rope is usually released at between 500 and 600 meters up.
  • A glider is very quiet because it has no engine.
  • Kites and paper planes fly in much the same way.

๐Ÿ”Ž Find out more

๐ŸŒŸ How does it take off?

Because it has no engine, a glider is towed by a rope behind an ordinary plane, a car or a winch until it rises into the air, then the rope is released and it flies on its own.

๐Ÿ” It rises with warm air

The pilot looks for currents of warm air rising from the ground and circles in them so they lift the glider up, as eagles and falcons do, then glides on to another current.

๐Ÿ’ก Mountain winds

When wind hits a mountain it rises, and skilled pilots use it to fly very long distances.

๐ŸŽฏ From glider to airplane

The early pioneers learned to fly in gliders, including the Wright brothers, who tried them before adding an engine and building the first airplane.

๐Ÿ“ธ More pictures

Gliders
Gliders
Gliders

๐Ÿงฉ Test yourself

1 What does a glider not have?

2 What lifts a glider higher?

3 Which picture shows โ€œGlidersโ€?

๐Ÿš€ Discover more

๐Ÿ“ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons