Quote:
Originally Posted by Jinn
They included those details:
The reason they included this is that powered flight is the ability to maintain both airspeed and altitude. Gliders cannot maintain both; they can maintain altitude at the cost of airspeed, or airspeed at the cost of altitude. They fly for so long by using thermals to gain altitude, but the climb causes a lost of airspeed. All things fall, and there is no way for a plane to maintain an altitude without trading back and forth with airspeed.
Because he travelled for 19.3 seconds while maintaining altitude and airspeed, he 'flew' for 19.3 seconds, regardless of initial momentum or glide that got him to that airspeed or that altitude.
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Ahhh... Thanks Jinn (I obviously don't have an iron pinkie ring!)
that makes sense.