Really quite simple.
in normal flight you have 3 individual force vectors, gravity, liftand drag. which all combine to form one net force vector. which incedently is the direction of flight.
if we take away the gravity componant then we fly our plane in zero gravity trimed for level flight on earth it will do loops for quite a while.(assuming it is also stable. ie pulls out in a dive). the time is does this will depend on such things as the air pressure and viscousity of the medium its flying through.
making it fly staight will do so untill the drag vector slows it down completly to rest. unless it is in space, where no one can hear you scream!
The reality is that there is no such thing as a gravityless enviroment!
anything that is perceived as gravityless is just that.
anything that has mass will be influenced by gravity.
the fact that something has mass also has a greavity field.
everyones glider has the property of gravity. and the gliders gravity extends infinatly throught the universe. thats why all gliders bunch together during thermals i suspect.
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Carl Strautins
CSIRO - Building Construction & Engineering
Graham Rd, Highett 3190, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Email:- Carl.Strautins@dbce.csiro.au
Phone +61 3 9252 6228
Web site: http://www.dbce.csiro.au
Slip resistance: http://www.dbce.csiro.au/pubs/slip
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