When an airplane glides at an angle of attack of 10 degrees, how much altitude will it lose in 1 mile?

To determine how much altitude an airplane will lose while gliding at a specific angle of attack, it's essential to understand the concept of glide ratio. The glide ratio, which is determined by the aircraft’s design and the angle of attack, indicates how much horizontal distance an aircraft can cover for a given loss of altitude.

In this scenario, with a glide at an angle of attack of 10 degrees, the glide ratio is typically around 1:10, meaning the aircraft can glide 10 horizontal miles for every mile of altitude lost. Therefore, for every mile horizontally traveled, the altitude lost is approximately 1/10th of that in feet.

By calculating it, if you consider a glide ratio that allows for the loss of altitude being approximately 480 feet for a mile traveled horizontally, this aligns closely with what is generally accepted for small to general aviation aircraft at a 10-degree angle of attack. This information is crucial to understanding the effectiveness of the glide and the corresponding altitude loss, emphasizing successful management of energy in the glide phase.

Therefore, when gliding at an angle of attack of 10 degrees, the correct altitude loss for the distance of a mile traveled will typically be around 480 feet, illustrating efficient aerodynamic performance in a controlled descent