Expert: Sherman D. - 9/26/2004

Question
Hi. I have a math problem I am a little stuck on. Could you possibly help?

"Jack and Jill were flying cross country in their single-engine plane when their engine quit. When the engine died, the altimeter read 800 feet. They had just passed over a radio tower used as a marker on their navigation map. According to the map, 2 miles straight ahead was a small private airport. If the glide ratio of the plane is 18:1, will they be able to land safely at the airport?"

Any help will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Answer
2 miles = 10560 feet

10560 : 800

5280 : 400

2640 : 200

1320 : 100

660 : 50

330 : 25

66 : 5

13.2 : 1

since the gliding ration is higher than the ratio i just gave you, the answer is YES they will be able to land safely at the airport.