What is the glide ratio of 747?

Without engine thrust, the 747 had a glide ratio of 15:1, meaning it can glide forward 15 kilometres for every kilometre it drops. After calculating the glide ratio, the crew realized that they had less than 30 minutes to regain power before they smashed into the ground.



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A fully loaded 747 has a glide ratio of 15:1 meaning that it travels 15 feet horizontal for every foot of vertical drop. That means at 35,000 feet it could travel about 100 miles. The new 787 Dreamliner is around 20:1.

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Assuming that a Boeing 737-300 has a glide ratio of 17:1 then if at 30,000 AGL it can glide about 96 miles under perfect conditions. The average Cessna 150 I was flying had a glide ratio of about 7:1.

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Different aircraft have different glide ratios. A Boeing 747- 200 had a glide ratio of 15:1, and a Boeing 727 has a ratio of 17:1.

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With it's efficient wings the glide ratio of the B 777 should be around 15:1. Extrapolating, from a Flight Level of 390 gives us a theoretical gliding distance of about 110 Miles.

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All fixed-wing aircraft have some capability to glide with no engine power; that is, they do not fall straight down like a stone, but rather continue to glide moving horizontally while descending.

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Maximum and minimum glideslope angles are 3.25 degrees and 2.5 degrees respectively.

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The key measure of performance in gliding is the glide ratio which is related to the lift-to-drag ratio of the aircraft. The glide ratio of a clean A320 is 17:1 which means it can travel 17 units of distance forwards for every 1 unit of distance downward at best glide speed.

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The glide ratio varies from aircraft to aircraft. A Boeing 747- 200 had a glide ratio of 15:1, and a Boeing 727 has a ratio of 17:1, the 787 has a glide ratio of over 20:1. The Airbus A320 is approximately 17:1 while the A330 is 15:1.

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For example, with a glide ratio of 15:1, a Boeing 747-200 can glide for 150 kilometres (93 mi; 81 nmi) from a cruising altitude of 10,000 metres (33,000 ft).

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Flight 236 glided for nearly 75 miles. After gliding for nearly 75 miles or 121 kilometres, the plane touched down hard in Lajes, around 1,030 feet (310 m) past the runway threshold of runway 33, at a speed of around 200 knots at 06:45 UTC.

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So if the glide is initiated at an altitude of 30,000 feet in no wind conditions, the aircraft will be able to glide about 102 miles.

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