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FROM THE WINGS

Glide, Grass, and Gas

PJ Kleffner, DTM
Immediate Past District Director

As a child, I frequently dreamed of flying, both ratio for these

like Superman and piloting a plane. Back in 1985, Cessnas was about
I realized the second version of that dream when 1.3, meaning you could
I found myself with some disposable income and travel 1.3 miles before
signed up for flying lessons. I was having the hitting the ground if you

time of my life soaring through the skies around were at 1,000 feet. If you
Renton, Washington where I was taking lessons. were at 1,000 feet, you would
I flew various Cessna 152s, 172s, and the 182 that have just over one minute to reach
I eventually bought. (Did I mention disposable a (hopefully) suitable place to land. It should

income?) be obvious that more altitude is your friend in
Flying lessons include a wide variety of topics case of an engine failure. The first G for Glide
beyond actually flying the plane, including reminds you to set the flaps and other controls
weather, a bit of physics, a lot of rules and to maximize your glide ratio.

regulations, and probably most important, That brings us to the second G – Grass. While
emergency procedures. At some point during flying, a pilot is always scanning the ground
every lesson, my instructor would reach over, below for potential emergency landing sites.
pull the throttle knob completely out to an idle, My instructor mentioned that golf courses are

and say, “OK, the engine just quit. What now?” For great, but it really annoys the groundskeeper.
these simulated exercises, it wasn’t necessary to As you are flying along, you keep a mental note
turn the engine off, because the plane cannot fly of the nearest and best possible landing site. As
at an idle – it will descend. Plus, there was a risk you spot another one, you update your mental

that we might not be able to restart the engine, note to replace the other site that is now farther
which would quickly change a simulation into away. Ideally, you want to land into the wind,
an actual emergency. but there are other considerations. If you are
To help pilots remember what to do in such already at a low altitude, a site ahead of you is

emergencies, we had to memorize the “three better than one behind you, because you will
Gs” – Glide, Grass, and Gas. Every plane has lose about 500 feet of altitude executing a 180
a “glide ratio” which tells you how far it will degree turn.
glide for every 1,000 feet of altitude The glide The third G – Gas – is only considered if you

18 ONE COMMUNITY