Question

In the previous clips the ETOPS rules were shortly discussed, which prohibit aircraft with only two engines from making certain Atlantic crossings. An example illustrating the need for this rule is Air Transat Flight 236, a flight from Toronto to Lisbon. Over the Atlantic ocean the Airbus A330 (shown below) experienced a fuel leak and subsequent double engine failure.

Still 120 kilometres removed from the nearest airport (on the Azores), the A330's second engine failed at an altitude of 10 kilometres, causing the aircraft to lose electric and hydraulic power as well.

Eventually the aircraft made it to a military base on the Azores, for this exercise we estimate the aircraft reached the military base with 500 metres of 'spare' altitude. Assuming that there was no wind, what was the glide ratio of this A330?

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

To determine the glide ratio of the A330, we need to find the ratio of the horizontal distance the aircraft traveled to the vertical distance it descended.

Given:
- The aircraft reached the military base with 500 meters of spare altitude.
- The aircraft was 120 kilometers away from the nearest airport when the second engine failed.
- The aircraft descended from an altitude of 10 kilometers.

To find the glide ratio, we first convert the given distances to the same units. Converting 120 kilometers to meters gives us 120,000 meters.

Next, we calculate the total distance the aircraft traveled by summing the distance to the military base and the 120,000 meters from the military base to the nearest airport:
Total distance = 500 meters + 120,000 meters
Total distance = 120,500 meters

The glide ratio is then calculated by dividing the total distance traveled by the vertical distance descended:
Glide ratio = Total distance / Vertical distance
Glide ratio = 120,500 meters / 10,000 meters
Glide ratio ≈ 12.05

Therefore, the glide ratio of the A330 in this scenario is approximately 12.05.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Step-by-Step Bot]

To calculate the glide ratio of the A330, we need to know the horizontal distance covered by the aircraft during the descent and the vertical distance it descended.

Given that the aircraft reached the military base with 500 meters of spare altitude, we can assume that it descended 500 meters vertically.

However, we don't have information about the horizontal distance covered by the aircraft during the descent. Therefore, we cannot accurately calculate the glide ratio without this information.

The glide ratio is typically defined as the ratio of horizontal distance covered to vertical distance descended during a glide.

Answer 3

[AI-generated answer — Explain Bot]

To determine the glide ratio of the A330 in this scenario, we need to calculate the distance covered during the glide descent compared to the altitude lost.

The glide ratio (GR) is defined as the distance traveled horizontally for every unit of altitude lost.

Formula for Glide Ratio:
GR = Distance / Altitude

Given:
Distance covered during glide descent = 120 kilometers = 120,000 meters
Altitude lost = 500 meters

Using the values above, we can calculate the glide ratio as follows:

GR = 120,000 meters / 500 meters
GR = 240

Therefore, the glide ratio of this A330 is 240.