Gliders

Gliders
By Zach

How much do you know about gliders? Test your knowledge by answering this question. What is a glider?

Gliders have three main parts: the wings, the body, and the tail. A glider’s wings are longer and skinnier than the wings on most airplanes. The skinnier wings allow the glider to weigh less and cut through the air easier. Just like on an airplane, the wings provide lift for the aircraft. The pilot controls small movable areas on the wings called ailerons. By moving the ailerons, the pilot can cause the glider to tip and go one direction or the other. The body of the glider is very narrow. This too keeps the glider light. Having a light and narrow body allows the aircraft to move through the air easier. The tail on a glider is attached to the back of the body. A rudder attached to the tail controls steering. The pilot uses his feet to control the rudder.

In 1809, George Cayley built the first glider. The only problem was that it could not be maneuvered. So if you were going to ride in this glider today, and there was a building in front of you, you couldn’t steer to avoid it… and well, you get the idea. From 1891-1896, Otto Lilienthal became the first person to create a glider that could be maneuvered. Before Orville and Wilbur Wright built the first successful engine powered airplane in 1903, they were experimenting with gliders. Germany was banned from developing engine powered aircraft after World War I. As a result of this, many smart German engineers turned their attention to gliders. Germany’s gliders became successful, and during World War II large gliders were used to move soldiers and other equipment.

Today gliders are so popular that there are clubs that people can join and competitions that they can take part in. In the 1980’s, hang gliding was invented. Hang gliding is a form of gliding that people do for fun. People still do it today.

Next time you look up in the sky and see an object, check to make sure if it’s a bird, a plane, or a GLIDER!

Citations

Online Resource

Banks, Howard. “Big white gliders, green and pink glider,and purple outline on glider.” World Book Online Reference Center. 2005. World Book, Inc. 14 Jan. 2005. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar226240.>

Images

Photograph of a glider has been released into the public domain under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>.

Copyrighted clip art images of gliders from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?lc=en-us&cag=1> (October-March, 2004-2005). Clip art available only to licensed users for non-commercial purposes.