Gliding: the Fundamentals of Flight Flight on Earth A Teacher Workshop Instructor: Phil Rossoni Date: October 8th, 2004 Location: Paxton Center School, Paxton, MA
	To unravel the secrets of how a species develops the capability of flight, we need look no further back in time than the present. We need look no distant than our own back yards here in New England. And lastly, we need not even look beyond our own bodies. The Present: The rain forests of Borneo show a large, varied array of gliding species; However, not all rain forests encourage gliding species. Africa has but a handful and the Amazon has none: Wild Gliders of Borneo (National Geographic Magazine, October 2000 issue) Our Own Back Yards: Out our back windows we see squirrels leaping from limb to limb. Our Bodies, Our Selves: Can humans really fly? Skydivers learn to stabilize, turn and flip by moving their limbs: Skydivier's Information Manual Parachuting: The Skydiver's Handbook, Dan Poynter Mechanics of Gliding Flight: The Glide Ratio of a human in the delta position approaches 1. This means one is able to propel one's self forward one foot for each foot of altitude lost. Sewing a jumpsuit with webs between the arms and legs (similar to the adaptations of the Wild Gliders of Borneo) increases a humans glide ratio to up to 3. Otto Lillienthal's gliders had a glide ratio of 7. The best glide ratio (60) may well be the eta, a german built glider with a wingspan of over 100 ft. History of Manned Gliding Flight: Otto Lillianthal was the first well documented "bird man" with over 2000 gliding flights. He also inspired the Wright Siblings to develop a system of three axis flight control. Before developing the engine and propeller for their 1903 flier, the Wright Brothers perfected their glider design over three years at Kitty Hawk accumulating over 2000 gliding flights from the dunes. Gliding Flight is Key to Sustained Flight: Gliding flight requires stability and balance. Once efficient gliding flight is achieved, sustained flight is well within reach. Gliding flight will be used as a "preflight" to prepare the walkalong glider for sustained soaring flight. Building a Walkalong Glider Back to Teacher Workshop Index Page Copyright Phil Rossoni, 10/7/2004