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The lifting power of air

The lifting power of air. Gliders and sail planes. Rising air can provide Lift. Rising air comes from the Sun heating our atmosphere The sun heats up the air close to the earth and as we know, hot air rises  Hot air is less dense, so it rises (floats)

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The lifting power of air

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  1. The lifting power of air Gliders and sail planes

  2. Rising air can provide Lift • Rising air comes from the Sun heating our atmosphere • The sun heats up the air close to the earth and as we know, hot air rises  • Hot air is less dense, so it rises (floats) • This heating creates wind (horizontal air movement) but it also creates vertical air movement • The vertical air movement can provide lift • We see this with fog in the mornings…. The air is cool so it is dense and clouds rest at ground level. As the sun warms the air, the clouds rise or the fog lifts.

  3. What are Gliders and sailplanes? • They are aircraft designed to ride the rising air. • A glider is any airplane without an engine. • A sailplane is a glider that is aerodynamic enough that sustained flight is possible by using rising air currents to maintain altitude, or even to climb. • A glider that is not a sailplane is not expected to maintain altitude or travel very far.

  4. History of gliders • During World War II, the allies used gliders to haul soldiers into battle. They were towed and released over designated drop zones • Now helicopters are used to transport troops

  5. Parts of a SAILplane Pilot tube

  6. What’s different? • A sailplane is lacking an engine and /or propeller . • Most sailplanes and a few airplanes have lift spoilers on the upper surface… they are called divebrakes or spoilers. They spoil or ruin lift…. They can be used as brakes in the air and on the ground. • They can also be used to keep an aircraft on the ground!

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