let's just assume the engine quit and take it
from there.

L / D

What is L? What is D?

That's the fundamental question being discussed. The engine (or the
earth's gravity) merely supplies the force. But once you introduce the
idea of gliding, you also need to address the things that gliders
address - ridge lift, thermals, messy stuff like that, which are all
ways of getting free energy from the sun.

Calm air, flat ambient earth, no engine, the airplane will descend.

Now explain to me how autogyros work.

Jose
--
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