Gliding quiz

More questions about Gliding

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   What type of cloud often indicates the presence of a thermal?

   Answer: Cumulus

   Why: A cumulus sits on top of an invisible column of rising air, and its flat base marks the height where the thermal's moisture condenses into cloud.

2. 2 Medium

   What do glider pilots use to increase drag and steepen approaches?

   Answer: Air brakes

   Why: A modern sailplane glides about 40 to 1, far too flat to land on a chosen spot, so the brakes spoil wing lift and add drag until the path is steep.

3. 3 Hard

   What does a glider's polar curve graph illustrate?

   Answer: Sink rate versus speed

   Why: A tangent drawn from the origin to the curve gives the best glide ratio, and one drawn from a headwind offset gives the speed to fly into wind.

4. 4 Easy

   Which decade saw the first fiberglass glider design take to the air?

   Answer: 1950s

   Why: The Akaflieg Stuttgart fs-24 Phoenix first flew in November 1957 and was type approved a little over a year later.

5. 5 Medium

   Which simple piece of yarn shows a glider's aerodynamic slip?

   Answer: Yaw string

   Why: Taped to the canopy on the aircraft's centreline, this 10 to 20 cm tuft has almost no inertia, so it reacts faster than the slip ball on the panel.

6. 6 Hard

   What is the purpose of a "weak link" in gliding?

   Answer: To protect the airframe

   Why: They are colour coded by breaking load, from green at 300 daN to black at 1000, and the flight manual names the colour each glider needs.