Yes, weight does have an impact on best glide speed. That is why glider
pilots in competition (or whenever they need a high speed, like long
flights limited by daylight) carry water ballast in the wing tanks. It
doesn't affect the glide angle too much, but it does have an impact at
which airspeed that best glide angle occurs.

Go check out a glider contest sometime.

I recall crewing for one once, and fondly remember the view, as the
afternoon wore on, of the gliders returning to the airport from the
direction of the setting sun. We could first see them at about 15 miles
distance as bright points where the sun was reflecting off the white gel
coat. As they got closer we could make out the glider shape. Then about 5
miles out the sun started refracting through the "contrails" of water
ballast being dumped as they approached the finish line.

That particular contest had 6 gliders crossing the finish line at 100
knots within 2 minutes of each other.

Ray Swartz


john smith wrote:

Does Best Glide Speed reduce with weight the same as other airspeeds?