Definition
The attempt to extend the horizontal distance covered during a power-off glide by raising the airplane's nose above the best glide attitude. This reduces airspeed below best glide speed, increases the angle of attack, raises induced drag, and ultimately steepens the glide path rather than flattening it — often leading to a stall.
Plain English
Trying to make the airplane glide farther by pulling the nose up. It does the opposite — the airplane slows down, sinks faster, and may stall.
Context Anchor
Used during power-off glides, engine-failure practice, and forced-landing discussions when a pilot is tempted to reach a runway or field that may be too far away.
Derivation
Stretch' here carries its everyday sense of 'pulling something to make it longer.' The phrase reflects the pilot's instinct — pulling back on the yoke to reach farther — which is exactly the wrong move.
Why Pilots Care
Attempting to stretch a glide can produce an inadvertent stall or force a landing short of the intended field, both of which create serious safety risks in engine-out situations.
Grounding Statement
With little or no engine power, raising the nose may slow the airplane briefly, but it does not add energy; it can make the airplane descend less safely.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “stretch” means you can make the airplane glide farther by pulling back. In this context, stretching a glide is a warning sign: the pilot is asking the airplane for more distance than it can safely give.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor warned the student not to stretch the glide when the chosen field looked short — better to land short under control than to stall trying to reach it.
Example Sentence 2
During the simulated engine failure, the instructor reminded the student not to stretch a glide when the field appeared slightly short.