If the engines of an airplane fail during flight, one of the first things the pilot must do is configure the airplane to be able to glide as far as possible in order to reach a potential landing sight safely. This is done by ensuring the airplane flies at a speed where the lift to drag ratio (L/D) is maximized. For a small single-engine airplane, the lift and drag coefficients that maximize the L/D ratio are 0.41 and 0.024, respectively