Top speed of the average glider, the speed which is never to be exceeded is usually 270-300 kph. This can be improved by making the glider more stiff, as the to

Top speed of the average glider, the speed which is never to be exceeded is usually 270-300 kph. This can be improved by making the glider more stiff, as the top speed is often limited by a phenomenon called flutter[1]. Average cross-country flying speeds are currently about 100kph, or higher depending on weather conditions[2]. This can be sustained for 8-10 hours. Currently this is all based on: - Looking carefully at detailed weather forecasts - The pilot observing the weather during the flight - Calculations for optimizing the average speed[3]. This is without using solar energy and any form of propulsion. Nowadays some gliders have a Front-Electric Sustainer[4]. Aircraft with solar panels on the wings have been demonstrated at small scale[5]. I have used a widely available network of receivers[6] and some algorithms to make predictions on the optimal route to take to your destination, based on the current weather conditions. I have not performed any calculations on the maximum speed that the glider can travel at, should it use solar and thermals. So I can't tell you how much the speed can be improved. That would be an interesting question to answer. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpJBvQXQC2M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpJBvQXQC2M [2] https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=8546216 https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.htm... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_to_fly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_to_fly [4] https://front-electric-sustainer.com/ https://front-electric-sustainer.com/ [5] https://www.solar-flight.com/ https://www.solar-flight.com/ [6] http://wiki.glidernet.org/ http://wiki.glidernet.org/