What term describes the speed at which a glider achieves the best glide ratio?

The term that describes the speed at which a glider achieves the best glide ratio is known as best glide speed. This speed represents the most efficient combination of altitude loss and horizontal distance covered during a glide. At this speed, the glider maintains an optimal lift-to-drag ratio, allowing the pilot to maximize distance covered per unit of altitude lost.

When a glider flies at this speed, it minimizes the rate at which altitude is lost relative to the distance traveled forward. This is crucial for glider pilots, particularly when they are navigating towards a landing area or trying to extend their flight time or distance.

Optimal descent speed and minimum sink speed may also relate to gliding performance, but they do not specifically define the speed for achieving the best glide ratio. Minimum sink speed refers to the speed at which a glider loses altitude at the slowest rate, which is not necessarily the same as the speed for best glide. Safe landing speed pertains to the speed necessary to safely land the glider, which can vary based on factors such as weight and wind conditions but does not correlate directly with maximizing glide performance.