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Point taken on the semantics I suppose, but I do actually have a glider pilot's license and have been flying gliders (the soaring kind) in mountainous terrain f
by marvin 13y ago
Point taken on the semantics I suppose, but I do actually have a glider pilot's license and have been flying gliders (the soaring kind) in mountainous terrain for six years. Never bothered with the distinction since most pilots over here call their aircraft gliders, but I suppose there is a textbook definition somewhere that disagrees.
- mikeash 13y agoWell, they are gliders. All sailplanes are gliders, but not all gliders are sailplanes. I don't know that too many people make that distinction, but it does seem to be the accepted definition of "sailplane". There's nothing wrong with calling, say, an ASW-20 a glider, but calling the Shuttle a sailplane isn't quite right.