Analytical Theory of the Flight Paths of a Glider over a Flat Earth

Abstract

A general analytical theory of the flight paths of a glider operating over a flat Earth is presented. First, the equations of motion are non-dimensionalized by introducing a set of variables depending on one undetermined parameter, the reference velocity. Then, particular problems are treated, and for each of these, a convenient reference velocity is selected. Three categories of problems are considered: flight in an arbitrary atmosphere, flight in a homogeneous atmosphere, and flight in an exponential atmosphere.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1960
Accession Number
AD0720721

Entities

People

  • Angelo Miele

Organizations

  • Boeing

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Forces
  • Altitude
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Differential Equations
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Flight
  • Flight Paths
  • Flight Speeds
  • Geometry
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Mach Number
  • Sea Level
  • Sounding Rockets
  • Trajectories

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris