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Calcimator

Glide Distance Calculator

Maximum glide range from altitude, glide ratio, wind, and bank angle for engine-out planning.

Inputs

Results

Still-air glide (NM)

7.41

Wind-adjusted glide (NM)

7.41

Still-air glide (SM)8.52
Descent rate (fpm)711
Time to ground (min)7
Adj best-glide (KIAS)63.2
Effective L/D9
Load factor (G)1
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter your current altitude AGL (ft) and aircraft best glide ratio (L/D) from the POH.
  2. Set best glide indicated airspeed (KIAS) and the headwind or tailwind component (kts).
  3. Enter bank angle if maintaining a turn, and current aircraft weight (lb) if weight correction is needed.
  4. Review still-air glide distance (NM and SM), wind-adjusted range, descent rate (fpm), and time to ground.
  5. Select the best glide speed indicated — gliding faster or slower than best glide reduces range.

How the result changes with Altitude AGL (ft)

Altitude AGL (ft)Still-air glide (NM)Wind-adjusted glide (NM)
6,0008.898.89
21,00031.1131.11
39,00057.7757.77
54,00079.9979.99

What each input means

Altitude AGL (ft)
Height above ground level when engine failure occurs.
Glide ratio (L/D)
Best lift-to-drag ratio from POH (e.g. Cessna 172 ≈ 9:1).
Best glide speed (KIAS)
Published best-glide airspeed at max gross weight.
Headwind (kts, neg=tail)
Headwind component (positive). Tailwind is negative.
Bank angle (degrees)
Maneuvering bank angle (0 for straight glide).
Aircraft weight (lb)
Current aircraft weight.
Reference weight (lb)
Max gross weight (reference for best-glide speed).

What each result means

Still-air glide (NM)
Maximum glide distance with no wind.
Wind-adjusted glide (NM)
Glide distance corrected for headwind or tailwind.
Still-air glide (SM)
Glide distance in statute miles.
Descent rate (fpm)
Vertical speed in the glide.
Time to ground (min)
Time from current altitude to the surface.
Adj best-glide (KIAS)
Best glide speed adjusted for current weight.
Effective L/D
Glide ratio adjusted for bank angle.
Load factor (G)
G-load in the current bank angle.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Altitude AGL (ft) = 5000, Glide ratio (L/D) = 9, Best glide speed (KIAS) = 68, Headwind (kts, neg=tail) = 0 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Still-air glide
    Still-air glide = glideDistanceFt / FT_PER_NM
    7.41 = 7.41
  3. Calculate Wind-adjusted glide
    Wind-adjusted glide = (groundspeedKts / 60) * timeToGroundMin
    7.41 = 7.41
  4. Calculate Still-air glide
    Still-air glide = glideDistanceNm * 1.15078
    8.52 = 8.52
  5. Calculate Descent rate
    Descent rate = (adjustedBestGlide * FT_PER_NM / 60) / effectiveGlideRatio
    711 = 711

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