Glider

Glider is an unpowered aircraft. The most common types of glider are today used for sporting purposes.

The design of these types enables them to climb using rising air instead of merely descending. This has created the sport of gliding, or soaring. The term "sailplane" is sometimes used for these types, implying a glider with a high soaring performance.

Although many gliders do not have engines, there are some that use engines occasionally. The manufacturers of high-performance gliders now often list an optional engine and a retractable propeller that can be used to sustain flight if required; these are known as 'self-sustaining' gliders. Some can even launch themselves and are known as 'self-launching' gliders. There are also touring motorgliders, which can switch off their engines in flight though without retracting their propellers. The term "pure glider" (or equivalently, but less commonly "pure sailplane") may be used to distinguish a totally unpowered glider from a motorized glider, without implying any differential in gliding or soaring performance.

Minimalist variations of gliders also occur in hang gliding and paragliding. The soaring performance is lower than a sailplane but they too can climb without using an engine.