What is the required altitude to ensure adequate glide performance to high key at an outlying field at 10 miles distance assuming a ground elevation of 100 feet?

To determine the required altitude for adequate glide performance to high key at an outlying field, it is essential to consider the glide ratio of the aircraft, which represents how far it can travel horizontally for every foot it descends vertically.

In a standard T-6B, the glide ratio typically ranges from about 10:1 to 15:1, depending on the aircraft's weight and configuration. This means that for every unit of altitude lost, the T-6B can cover approximately 10 to 15 units of horizontal distance. Given the scenario, you need to glide 10 miles (or 52,800 feet) to reach the high key point.

To calculate the minimum altitude needed for a glide performance of 10 miles:

• If we take a conservative glide ratio of 10:1, for each foot descending, the aircraft can travel 10 feet horizontally.

• Thus, to cover 52,800 feet horizontally, the aircraft would need to lose 5,280 feet in altitude.

Adding the ground elevation of 100 feet, the total altitude required to achieve that glide distance would be:

5,280 feet (glide distance loss) + 100 feet (ground elevation) = 5,380 feet.

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