The glide angle is the angle between the trajectory of an aircraft during gliding flight and the horizontal plane. It is a measure of the steepness of the descent path and indicates how efficiently the aircraft can convert altitude into horizontal distance. A shallower glide angle allows for a more extended glide, while a steeper glide angle results in a quicker descent. A shallower glide angle corresponds to a higher Lift-to-Drag (L/D) ratio, indicating more efficient gliding with increased horizontal distance for a given loss in altitude. Conversely, a steeper glide angle is associated with a lower L/D ratio and less efficient gliding. The formula to calculate glide angle as follows:
Where:
- is the glide angle in radian,
- is the Lift-to-Drag ratio.