How far can a boeing 737 glide at 39,000 feet?

Question

How far can a boeing 737 glide at 39,000 feet with both engines out?

I heard its around 35-39nm.

Answer 1

Not quite true to say it will drop as soon as engines stop.  To begin with it could maintain alt for a while with nose up but will lose speed quickly.  Actual glide performance will depend on load but work out a 5% glide path on the lucky side and 10% glide path if not.  Remember 39000 feet is 12 km up so gliding 40 nm is not a huge distance really.

Answer 2

Depends on the velocity at the beginning of of the glide, the weight onboard, windspeeds etc.

Answer 3

At 39,000 feet?  Probably around 39,001 feet - straight down!

No seriously, they can glide for miles.  I'd say more than 40nm, as thats only around 46 miles.

Answer 4

The 737 has a glide ratio of 10 to one, which works out to 65 nautical miles under ideal conditions, which are not likely to be what is happening.  But it could be.

Answer 5

I once asked a similar question to apilot I got talking to his answer was approx 100 milesand then land straight away

Answer 6

lets assume best glide is a decent at 1500 ft/min - this should be close - so it will stay in the air for 26 minutes - 26 minutes at 190knts = 82 nm -

of course fpm will depend on load, distance isn't everything, there is also minimum sink rate, which will keep you in the air longer, but not go as far - useful for prep time, like circling over an airport.

if you feel like subtracting 1nm for the 2knt wind........kinda like a flea on a whale.  there is a good story about a pilot who was a glider enthusiast dead-sticking into a closed airport in canada (fuel exhaustion) more people got hurt jumping out of the plane because nose wheel collapsed, and the slide at the back of the plane did not have enough angle to slow people down.

with a bit more work, i found between 18:1,and 20:1 - so more than 100nm.  but you need to get the gear down etc, you also need to subtract the altitude of the airport from your altitude, since you only have AGL to glide....

ah 2knts is the ground wind speed, here is what you do if you sim it - pitch for 190, look at your decent rate in fpm, and altitude above ground (altitude - field elevation) this gives the time you can stay in the air - then look at ground speed on the gps - speed*time=distance.....then you don't need to worry about the winds aloft, and it is moot to care which runway.

Answer 7

I would think it could only glide 39,000 ft.........

Answer 8

i have no idea and as i am going on holiday to mexico in may i do not want to find out !

Answer 9

35 to 40nm is about right, but you'd have to consider load and wind speed at that altitude. My friend is a pilot in R.A.F, I'll e-mail him to see if has any ideas.

Answer 10

Speed? Assuming it's traveling in a linear motion.

Answer 11

Not very far at all at 39,000 feet.

It will start to lose height as soon as the engines stop.

Answer 12

Not that far

Answer 13

You're doing that mission on FSX right? If so, probably best to take the closer airport... I took the farther one and missed by about 3 miles then did it again and barely made the threshold. Anyway.