My text descriptions of the glide angle visualizerw were
well under 1000 words, and even if they were so long,
they still wouldn't have replaced a couple of pictures.
... so here they are.

These angles are measured with my hands and my eyeballs.
To figure out the angles you'll see, stand in a long hallway
and look at a spot at eye level on the far wall. Assume the
appropriate hand position, with the top edge of your finger
even with your level sightline. Note the farthest
spot you can see under your finger on the floor.
Measure the distances to the spot and the height of your
eyeball above the floor. That ratio is the "glide ratio" of
the sightline at the bottom of your finger.

You can also count fingers below the horizon at arms length,
but most cockpits don't have enough room for waving your arms
in many directions.

I like this method, because it's free, doesn't clutter up the
cockpit, works in any aircraft, is always with me, and
won't blow away if I open the window.

With all due respect for the gadget freaks, I kinda think
the split-mirror optical inclinometer is kinda like the flap position
indicator in an LNC2 -- not as easy or as reliable as simply looking
out the window.

ps - if you have a big prop with flat pitch windmilling on a high-compression
engine with the throttle closed, you may want to use an open hand
covering both eyes.

-bob mackey

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