Forces on a Glider A glider is a special kind of aircraft that has no engine.
Paper airplanes are the most obvious example, but there are full scale gliders as well.
These aircraft are usually towed aloft by a powered aircraft then cut free to glide for long distances and for a long period of time before landing. Compared to a powered aircraft, we see that a glider has only three main forces acting on it. As before, we have collected all of the component forces together and represent them by single forces acting through the center of gravity or the center of pressure. Because gliders carry no fuel or engines, they are usually lighter and simpler than powered aircraft. In order for a glider to fly, it must generate lift to oppose weight.