A glider is an aircraft that soars through the air without the help of a motor. Some gliders look very much like airplanes. They have wings, a tail, a cockpit, an instrument panel, and a fuselage, or body. Some are even called sailplanes.

How Gliders Work

Gliders and airplanes with engines work in a similar way. A pilot controls both kinds of aircraft. Unlike airplanes with engines, however, gliders must be towed, or pulled, into the air to begin their flight. People may tow gliders using an automobile or a winch, which is a reel attached to a motor. A rope called a towline connects the glider to the automobile or winch. The automobile or winch pulls the glider forward along the ground and into the wind. As the glider's speed increases, air flows over its wings at a faster and faster rate. This produces an upward force, called lift, on the wings. When this force becomes greater than the downward force of gravity, the glider can stay in the air. Then the glider pilot releases the towline.

An airplane with an engine may also tow a glider into the air. The glider pilot disconnects the towline when the glider is flying at about 3,000 feet (900 meters).

Once the glider is flying, its pilot uses controls to move it higher, lower, and to the right or left. Glider pilots search for upward-moving air currents, called updrafts. The updrafts push the glider higher into the sky.

Hang Gliders

Certain gliders are not like airplanes at all. A hang glider has a large wing made of cloth with a bar hanging below. The pilot hangs from the frame and shifts his or her weight to steer the glider. To launch a hang glider, the pilot holds onto the bar and runs down a hill into the wind. Hang gliders can also be launched by being towed.

History

Gliders were developed in the late 1800s in Germany. By experimenting with gliders the Wright brothers were able to develop the first airplane in the early 1900s. Gliders were later used in warfare. For example, gliders carried many soldiers into enemy lands during World War II. Today gliders are used mostly for sport.