Question

A plane is descending at a 12° angle of depression. If the current altitude of the plane is 1,000 feet, find the distance the plane still needs to fly to reach the ground. Round the answer to the nearest foot.
4810
1012
789
1000

Answer 1

Let the remaining flight distance be d. The plane's vertical drop = d·sin(12°) = 1000, so

d = 1000 / sin(12°) ≈ 1000 / 0.2079 ≈ 4809.5 ≈ 4,810 feet.

Answer: 4810