L/D_MAX

But it isn't up to me and, at least in the United States, there are no regulatory requirements for any of this. If you have an angle of attack indicator, you are in pretty good shape. Even if you don't, you should be able to come up with a chart of your own to help you out should you ever need a maximum power off glide speed. By the way, if you don't have an AOA indicator, you really need to memorize a few critical deck angles should your pitot-static system ever go on strike. (For example, what pitch angle is required for level flight at takeoff power all engine and engine-out?)

First we'll explain the aero behind L/D_MAX and then a little about how to determine your own particular L/D_MAX AOA. If you don't have an AOA indicator, we'll cover how to build a chart.

Yes, engines are more reliable these days. Yes, I am paranoid. No, you don't have to do any of this. But you should.

1 — AOA, lift, drag

2 — L/D_MAX

3 — T-38 example

4 — Finding your aircraft's critical AOAs

Angle of Attack

The angle of attack is the angle between the chord line of the wing and the relative wind. More about this:

• Angle of Attack
• Everybody Has an Angle (of Attack)

Lift

A wing produces a force upon the aircraft known as "aerodynamic force." This force can be broken into two components: lift acts perpendicular to the relative wind, drag parallel to it. More about this:

• Lift
• Daniel Bernoulli

Drag

Part of the aerodynamic force generated by the wing points aft and parallel to the relative wind is known as induced drag. This type of drag starts high and decreases with airspeed. Another type of drag, known as parasite drag, is just what you think of when you think of air resistance against an object. Parasite drag starts low and becomes very high. More about this:

• Drag

The good folks at Northrop equipped the T-38 Talon with an Angle of Attack indicator with all the good stuff right on the gauge:

• Maximum Range: 0.18 AOA
• Maximum Endurance: 0.30 AOA
• Optimal Approach: 0.60 AOA
• Buffet Warning: 0.90 AOA
• Stall: 1.00 AOA

Chances are your business jet or airliner isn't so equipped. Too bad, this is the kind of stuff that can save your life. Not to worry, most aircraft seem to have the exact same numbers as that T-38 when it comes to AOA. You can easily find at least two of them.

Research

Your aircraft manuals may have clues for some of your important angles of attack. In the case of the G450, this is all we have:

Performance Charts (Holding or Endurance)

While most aircraft performance manuals do not come out and say, "this is your maximum glide angle of attack," you can make inferences based on the fact maximum glide and maximum endurance happen at the same angle of attack, L/D_MAX, for any given configuration.

The G450, for example, has a "twin engine holding" chart which is designed to produce minimum fuel flow levels. Since the G450 has an AOA indicator, I needed only to verify the underlined values were achievable at the same AOA, and that AOA was indeed 0.30.

Performance Charts (Approach)

You should have aircraft manuals that give you optimal approach speeds for various configurations. You need only fly these speeds and cross check against your AOA.

Putting it all together

You should record your aircraft's performance over several flights and try to collect multiple data points for identical configurations. I've done that for the G450 and here's what I found:

• Takeoff Rotation: 0.2 to 0.3
• Cruise (0.80 Mach): 0.15 to 0.20
• Cruise (LRC): 0.30
• Pattern: 0.40
• V_REF "plus": 0.50

By definition all of these except 0.80 Mach are regardless of weight. If I ever need to glide this airplane, I know 0.30 AOA gives me the most forward distance regardless of weight.

A common misconception is that since you stall at 1.00 AOA and your approach speed is 1.30 times stall speed (for most, but not all aircraft), then your approach angle of attack should be 1.00 / 1.30 = 0.77 AOA. But that is not the case, the 1.30 is based on speed not angles. Approach angle of attack tends to be between 0.50 and 0.60.

I know, from doing the math, that the AOA for V_REF is 0.67. But by the time you add at least 5 knots (because that is minimum approach speed), you end up with something less. If you want to see the math: Approach Speed Additives. (This is for a GVII, but the math is the same for the G450.)

For those without an AOA indicator

Your process is the same, but you will end up with airspeeds that will change with weight. There is talk at the FAA to make angle of attack indicators mandatory equipment. Let's hope that happens.

Air Training Command Manual 51-3, Aerodynamics for Pilots, 15 November 1963

Dole, Charles E., Flight Theory and Aerodynamics, 1981, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New York, NY, 1981.

Gulfstream G450 Airplane Flight Manual, Revision 35, April 18, 2013.

Gulfstream G450 Aircraft Operating Manual, Revision 35, April 30, 2013.

Gulfstream G450 Performance Handbook, GAC-AC-G450-OPS-0003, Revision 20, November 30, 2011

Technical Order 1T-38A-1, T-38A/B Flight Manual, USAF Series, 1 July 1978.

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