Gliding is all about flying like a bird soaring in the sky. An Airplane glider look very similar to the conventional aircraft but the only difference is that it doesn’t make as much noise as other aircrafts. Flying a glider plane is fast gaining popularity as a favorite spare-time activity amongst people of all age groups. Flying a glider from a cliff-top or from a hillside is amazing fun.

An airplane glider has different parts such as Fuselage, wings, control surface and landing gear. These parts have different functions which are explained below:

Fuselage:

Since a glider doesn’t have an engine it is small and lightweight. The cockpit of an airplane glider is also small but it has enough space to carry a single person. Instead of sitting upright, the pilot has to sit in a reclined position with their legs stretched in front of them. A glider plane is designed to have skin that is smooth that allows the plane to glide in the air easily. Modern airplane gliders are made of composite materials such as carbon fiber or fiberglass.

Wings:

The wings of an airplane glider are very different from a conventional plane. Though, the wings of a glider are longer and narrower than the wings of a traditional plane they perform the same function. The wings of a glider have high aspect ratios. The length of the wing is more than its breadth. Increasing the aspect ratio of the wings can increase the efficiency of your glider.

Control Surfaces:

An airplane glider employs the same control surfaces i.e. movable sections of its wings and tail as found in the conventional flight to control the flight’s direction. You can control the elevator and the ailerons with the single stick between your legs in the cockpit. You can control the rudder with the foot pedals.

Landing Gear:

If you want to reduce the size of your airplane glider, you can reduce its size by reduce its size of the landing gear. The landing gear consists of a single wheel place right below the cockpit.

Now that you have idea about different parts of an aircraft glider, have fun while flying it.