Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Gliding |
GlidingNoun1. The activity of flying a glider. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "gliding" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Mining | A. A change of form by differential movements along definite planes in crystals without fracture b. The formation of twin crystals. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Bacterial gliding is a process whereby a bacterium can move under its own power. This process does not involve the use of flagella, which is a more common means of motility in bacteria. For many bacteria, the mechanism of gliding is unknown or only partially known, and it seems likely that in fact different bacteria use distinct mechanisms to achieve what is currently referred to as gliding. Gliding is prominent in cyanobacteria, myxobacteria and the cytophaga-flavobacteria.
References
- A review article on this phenomenon. Mark. J. McBride (2001) "BACTERIAL GLIDING MOTILITY: Multiple Mechanisms for Cell Movement over Surfaces", Annual Review of Microbiology, 55: 49-75. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11544349&dopt=Abstract
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Bacterial gliding."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive sport where individuals fly un-powered aeroplanes usually called gliders or sailplanes. Properly, however, "gliding" is the term used for a descending flight of any heavier-than-air craft, when its own weight is its sole motive force. When the craft gains altitude or speed from the atmosphere during the flight, the correct term is "soaring".
Recreation or sport?
While recreational glider enthusiasts enjoy the freedom, scenic views, and sheer enjoyment of controlling the planes, others concentrate on building their own craft, while still others fly in competitions, where the goal is to complete circuit around designated "turning-points", as quickly as possible. These competitions test the pilot's (and the co-pilot, in two-seater gliders) ability to recognise and make use of local weather conditions as well as their flying skills and navigational abilities. There are also glider aerobatics competitions.
History
All developments in heavier-than-air flight between 1853 (Sir George Cayley's coachman), and 1903 (Wright brothers) involved gliders (See History of Aviation). However, the sport of gliding only emerged after the First World War, and the reason for its development can be traced to the Treaty of Versailles. The peace settlement imposed severe restrictions on the manufacture and use of single-seater powered aeroplanes in Germany. Thus, in the 1920s and 1930s, while aviators and aircraft makers in the rest of the world were working to improve the performance of powered aeroplanes, the Germans were designing, developing and flying ever more efficient gliders, and discovering ways of using the natural forces in the atmosphere to make them fly further and faster. The sport has since taken hold in many countries, not only those offering large areas of relatively flat land but also those where the terrain provides more challenging flying. Germany, however, remains the world centre of gliding, as evinced by the fact that all the major glider manufacturers are based in that country.
Soaring
Soaring is usually achieved by flying through a mass of air that is ascending as fast or faster than the sailplane is descending, and thus gaining potential energy. The most commonly exploited rising masses of air are thermals (updrafts of hot ground layer air caused by local differences in air temperature), ridge lift (found where the wind blows against the face of a hill and is forced to rise), and wave lift (standing waves in the atmosphere, analogous to the ripples on the surface of a stream). Ridge lift rarely allows pilots to climb much higher than about 2,000 ft (600 m); thermals, depending on the climate and terrain, can go as high as 10,000 ft (3 000 m) in flat country and even higher in the mountains; wave lift has allowed gliders to achieve altitudes in excess of 30,000 ft (10 000 m).On rare occasions, glider pilots have been able to use a technique called "dynamic soaring", where a sailplane can be made to gain kinetic energy by repeatedly crossing the boundary between air masses of different horizontal velocity. However, such zones of high "wind gradient" are usually much too low to be used safely by aircraft, and dynamic soaring is a technique only really useful to birds, notably to the albatrosses who during long migrations can be seen repeatedly pulling up, turning, and diving back down through the wind gradient close to the surface of the ocean.
In thermal flight, the glider pilot attempts to find streams of air that are moving straight up as a result of being heated by contact with sun-lit earth. Typical spots to find thermals are over freshly ploughed fields and asphalt roads, however most of the time thermals are hard to associate with any feature on the ground. As it requires rising heated air, thermalling is typically only effective in mid-latitudes from spring through into late summer, other latitudes tend to have vertical air temperatures-gradients suppressing thermal convection, and during winter there is too little solar heat to start thermals. Once a thermal is encountered, the pilot banks sharply to keep the plane turning in a small circle within the thermal. This way gliders can ride upward until the thermal either enters the clouds base (see Visual Flight Rules) or a warmer air layer called a Capping inversion stops it from rising any further.
Ridge running instead looks for air that is being mechanically lifted as it flows up the sides of hills or other vertical changes in the landscape (including buildings in some cases). Ridge running works in any climate or weather, but can only be used in certain locations. Often a combination of ridge and thermal gliding is used. Ridge lift can kick off strong thermals.
Mountain wave flying is a variation of ridge-running allowing the glider to climb much higher. Most sailplane altitude records were set by flying large scale mountain waves in the top flow of long mountain ranges all over the world. The world distance record of 3008 km by Klaus Ohlmann was also flown in the mountain wave in South America.
Glider pilots learn to spot the characteristic cloud formations that usually accompany zones of rising air or "lift". Well-formed cumulus clouds (the fluffy, cotton-wool type of cloud) with sharply defined flat bases often form at the tops of strong thermals, and long, stationary lenticular (lens-shaped) clouds, perpendicular to the wind direction, frequently mark the crests of atmospheric waves.
Launch methods
Gliders are initially launched into the air by one of several methods, most commonly "aerotowing" (being towed behind a powered aircraft by means of a detachable cable) or "winching" (using a stationary ground-based winch possibly mounted on a heavy vehicle). Other less common methods are "auto-towing" (towing behind a car or truck), "reverse auto-towing" (like auto-towing except the launch cable is threaded through a fixed pulley at one end of the airfield, so the truck is driving towards the aircraft) and "bungy-launching" (propulsion from a steep hillside using an elastic rope).Sailplanes are normally launched by aero-tow with a single engine tow-plane. Lately, strong self-launching motor gliders and microlight planes have also been permitted to tow gliders. A very economical method for launching gliders is the use of a truck-mounted diesel-engine purpose-built winch. (Launch costs of about EUR 3 are an order of magnitude less compared with an aero-tow.) The winch pulls in a 1000-1200m long steel rope attached to the sailplane, which releases the rope in about 400-500m altitude after an amazingly short and steep ride comparable to a rocket lauch. This method is prevalent in gliding clubs all over Germany.
Outlandings
Outlandings are common in cross country gliding. These are often mistaken for 'emergency landings', but they are entirely normal. The pilot's crew retrieves the plane in a purpose-built trailer which can easily be towed by a car. Modern expensive gliders often have a retractable propeller/two-stroke engine, allowing them to return to their home airfield and avoid the hassle of outlandings. Some of these are powerful enough for independent take-off.
Related sports
Two minimalistic variations of the sport are hang gliding, where instead of a fully-fledged plane with full control surfaces and an enclosed cockpit the craft used is basically a fabric flying wing, and paragliding, where a sophisticated kind of parachute is flown.See also: glider
External links
- International Gliding Commission
- National Gliding Federations
- Gliding Magazine
- International Gliding Online Contest
- Soaring Society of America
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gliding."
Synonyms: GlidingSynonyms: glide (n), sailing (n), sailplaning (n), soaring (n). (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Hey! I'm gliding here (Miss Congeniality; writing credit: Marc Lawrence; Katie Ford) | |
Lyrics | Believe we're gliding down the highway (Slip Slidin' Away; performing artist: PAUL SIMON) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies |
| ||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Five Cow-nosed Rays - Rhinoptera bonasus - gliding toward the photographer with both wing tips up. Credit: America's Coastlines. |  | Kill Devil Hill, where the first gliding experiments were conducted by the Wright brothers in 1900; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville Wright, accompanied by his brother Lorin, his nephew Horace, and his friend Alexander Ogilvie, of England, arrived for. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | View of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, photographed by the Wright brothers in the vicinity of their 1900 camp, where they conducted their first gliding experiments in October. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Left view of Wilbur gliding, Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station and Weather Bureau buildings in distance; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Gliding; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Wilbur gliding down steep slope of Big Kill Devil Hill; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Side view of Wilbur gliding in level flight, moving to right near bottom of Big Hill; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Wilbur Wright gliding from No. 2 Hill, west of the camp building. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Three-quarter right front view of Wright glider descending from Big Hill. One of four photographs of gliding activities taken on October 27, 1903, when Wilbur and Orville each made two glides. Credit: Library of Congress. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Hand Gliding" by Donall O'Cleirigh Commentary: "Hand gliding in clear skies." | "Seagull gliding" by Tyniuz C. Commentary: "Seagull gliding towards the sunset." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Virgil | May the countryside and the gliding valley streams content me. Lost to fame, let me love river and woodland. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | All flight should be gliding. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Gliding" is generally used as a lexical verb (-ing form) -- approximately 62.41% of the time. "Gliding" is used about 141 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 62.41% | 88 | 35,154 |
| Noun (singular) | 37.59% | 53 | 46,657 |
| Total | 100.00% | 141 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "gliding": Gliding angle ♦ Gliding Bacteria ♦ gliding boat ♦ gliding distance ♦ gliding flight ♦ gliding joint ♦ Gliding machine ♦ gliding plain ♦ gliding ratio ♦ hang gliding ♦ minimum gliding angle. Additional references. | |
| Hypenated Usage | |
Ending with "gliding": para-gliding. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "gliding"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | zbritje e ëmbël (glide), shkarje në ajër, rrëshqitje (coast, glide, glissade, skid, slide, sliding, slip, slipping, subsidence). (various references) | |
Arabic | مزلق, المنزلقة طائرة, إنزلاق (skid, sliding, slip). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | плъзгащ се (sliding), плъзгане (glide, skid, slide, sliding), планиране (drafting, mapping, planning, volplane). (various references) | |
Chinese | 滑动 (Glided, Skidded, Skidding, SLIP, SLIPS). (various references) | |
Czech | létání na kluzáku, bezmotorové létání. (various references) | |
Danish | gravitationsglidning (gravitational flow, gravitational gliding, gravity gliding), glidevinkel (gliding angle), glidetal (gliding ratio), glidende paritet (gliding parity), glideflyvning (glide, gliding flight, soaring), glidedistance (gliding distance), glidebaad (gliding boat, hydroplane, hydroskimmer), torsionsglidning (rotary gliding), mindste glidevind (minimum gliding angle), kugleled (arm link ball joint, ball, ball and socket joint, ball joint, gliding joint, knee joint, spherical joint, spheroid joint, yoke), hydroplanbaad (gliding boat, hydroplane, hydroskimmer), hydroglider (gliding boat, hydroplane, hydroskimmer), afgliden af fødselstang (gliding off, skidding off, slipping of the forceps). (various references) | |
Dutch | gravitatie-afvloeiing (gravitational flow, gravitational gliding, gravity gliding), glijvlucht (glide, gliding flight, soaring), glijverhouding (gliding ratio), glijhoek (gliding angle), glijboot (aquaplane, gliding boat, hydroplane, hydroskimmer, marine air cushion craft, marine hovercraft, seagoing hovercraft), variabele werktijd (flexible working hours, flexitime, gliding time), slippen (skid, slip), minimale glijhoek (minimum gliding angle), kogelgewricht (gliding joint, spheroid joint), jalousiedeurtje (gliding tambour), hydroplaan (gliding boat, hydroplane, hydroskimmer), articulatio sphaeroidea (gliding joint, spheroid joint), afglijden (gliding off, skidding off, slipping of the forceps, slough). (various references) | |
Finnish | purjelento (soaring), liitolento. (various references) | |
French | glissement (glissement), glissant, glissade, vol à voile (glide), planeur (glider). (various references) | |
German | gleitflug (glide, gliding flight, volplane), gleitend (floating, languorous, sashaying, sliding, smoothing), Segelflug (gliding flight, soaring), segelfliegen. (various references) | |
Greek | ανεμοπλοία. (various references) | |
Hebrew | מחליק (skating, slipping, smoothing), החלקה (slide, sliding, slip, slipping, smoothing, stumbling), דאיה (flying, soaring), גלישה (glide, overflow, seething, skiing, slide, surfing), גלשון (avalanche, hang glider), גלשונאות. (various references) | |
Hungarian | vitorlázó repülés (sail flying, soaring), siklórepülés (gliding flight, volplane), siklás (crawl, glide, slide). (various references) | |
Indonesian | berseluncur (move with gliding action). (various references) | |
Italian | volo (flight, fly). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 空中滑走 . (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | くうちゅうかっそう. (various references) | |
Korean | 활공함. (various references) | |
Manx | snaue (bathing, course, crawl, crawling, creep, creep as child, creeping, float, floating, flotation, glide, in suspension, scuttle; track of snail; swimming, scuttle; track; swimming, sidle, slither, slithering, swim), foilleyraght (glide). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | idingglay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | vôo planado (glide, soaring, volplane), deslize suave. (various references) | |
Romanian | zbor (flight, fly, flying, race, soar, soaring, towering, volitation, wing). (various references) | |
Russian | скольжение (glide, glissade, slide, slip, slipping), планеризм, планирование (glide, planning, volplane). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | let jedrilicom, jedriličarstvo (sailing craft, yachting). (various references) | |
Spanish | vuelo planeado (glide, gliding flight, planned flight), vuelo a vela (gliding flight, soaring), planeo (glide, soaring), paridad móvil (gliding parity), hidroplano (hydroplane), flujo gravitacional (gravitational flow, gravitational gliding, gravity gliding), factor de planeo (gliding ratio), distancia de planeo (gliding distance), deslizamiento rotatorio (rotary gliding), deslizamiento de fórceps (gliding off, skidding off, slipping of the forceps), articulación esferoidea (gliding joint, spheroid joint), índice de planeo (gliding ratio), ángulo mínimo de planeo (minimum gliding angle), ángulo de planeo (gliding angle). (various references) | |
Swedish | segelflygning. (various references) | |
Turkish | süzülme (drainage, infiltration, percolation, volplane), planör ile uçma (glide), plânörcülük, kayma (creep, creepage, dislocation, glide, slide, sliding, slip, slipping), akış (afflux, course, efflux, flight, flow, flux, inflow, influx, passage, pour, river, run, tenor, tide). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | sự trượt đi (glide). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | lapsu, lapsus. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Gliding" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: cliding, giding, Gildon, glidding, gliming, griding, lidding. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "gliding" (pronounced glī"ding) |
| 5 | -l ī" d i ng | colliding, sliding. |
| 4 | -ī" d i ng | abiding, biding, chiding, coinciding, confiding, deciding, deriding, dividing, guiding, hiding, presiding, providing, residing, riding, siding, striding, subsiding, tiding. |
| 3 | -d i ng | applauding, apprehending, abounding, acceding, according, adding, affording, aiding, alluding, amending, ascending, astounding, attending, avoiding, awarding, backsliding, balding, banding, bedding, beheading, beholding, bending, bidding, binding, bleeding, blending, blinding, blockading, boarding, bombarding, bonding, bounding, braiding, branding, breading, breeding, brooding, budding, building, cascading, ceding, cheerleading, clouding, codding, coding, colluding, commanding, commending, compounding, comprehending, conceding, concluding, condescending, confounding, contending, cording, corresponding, crowding, crusading, decoding, defending, defrauding, defunding, degrading, deluding, demanding, denuding, depending, descending, disbanding, discarding, disregarding, downgrading, downloading, dreading, eluding, encoding, ending, eroding, evading, exceeding, excluding, expanding, expending, exploding, expounding, extending, extruding, fading, featherbedding, feeding, fending, feuding, Fielding, finding, flooding, folding, forbidding, foreboding, forwarding, founding, freestanding, funding, gadding, gilding, girding, Gladding, goading, Godding, grading, grandstanding, grinding, grounding, guarding, handholding, handing, heading, heeding, heralding, herding, hoarding, holding, hounding, impeding, impending, imploding, inbreeding, including, intending, interceding, intruding, invading, joyriding, kidding, kneading, lading, landholding, landing, lauding, leading, lending, loading, longstanding, madding, marauding, masquerading, masterminding, Melding, mending, minding, misleading, misreading, misspending, misunderstanding, molding, moulding, needing, nodding, nonbinding, nonbuilding, notwithstanding, offending, outbidding, outspending, outstanding, overbuilding, overcrowding, overextending, overfunding, overloading, overriding, overspending, padding, parading, pending, persuading, pervading, pleading, plodding, portending, pounding, preceding, precluding, pretending, proceeding, prodding, proofreading, protruding, pudding, punctuating, raiding, railroading, reading, rebounding, rebuilding, receding, recommending, recording, Redding, Reding, refunding, regarding, relending, reminding, rending, rereading, rescinding, resounding, responding, retarding, retreading, rewarding, ridding, rodding, rounding, safeguarding, sanding, scaffolding, scalding, scolding, seceding, seeding, sending, serenading, shading, shedding, shepherding, shielding, shipbuilding, shredding, shrouding, skateboarding, skidding, sledding, sounding, spearheading, speeding, spellbinding, spending, spreading, stampeding, standing, stranding, succeeding, superseding, surrounding, suspending, tending, threading, trading, transcending, treading, trending, unbending, underfunding, understanding, unending, unfolding, unloading, unwinding, unyielding, upgrading, upholding, upstanding, vending, voiding, wading, warding, wedding, weeding, welding, wending, wielding, Wilding, winding, withholding, withstanding, Wooding, wording, wounding, yielding. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: gilding. | |
| Words within the letters "d-g-g-i-i-l-n" | |
-1 letter: idling. | |
-3 letters: ding, gild, ling, nidi. | |
-4 letters: dig, din, gid, gig, gin, lid, lin, nil. | |
-5 letters: id, in, li. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-g-g-i-i-l-n" | |
+1 letter: gildings, girdling, ridgling. | |
+2 letters: dialoging, divulging, engilding, griddling, indulging, regilding, ridgeling, ridglings. | |
+3 letters: begirdling, delighting, dialoguing, dislodging, engirdling, glissading, grindingly, impledging, mislodging, ridgelings. | |
+4 letters: daylighting, disobliging, ganglioside, gridlocking, lightninged, mudslinging, overgilding. | |
+5 letters: daylightings, digitalizing, disgruntling, disgustingly, gangliosides, goldbricking, ideologizing, lifeguarding, mudslingings. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Familiar 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
