an airplane is flying 75km south and 35 km west of an airport. It is flying at a heigh of 6 km

A)what is the straight-line distance to the airport?

B)What is the angle of elevation of the airplane, from the point of of view of the airport?

3 answers

The plane is at a distance d where
d^2 = 75^2+35^2+6^2 = 6886
d = 83 km (82.99, but who's checking?)

the angle of elevation θ = arctan(6/83) = 4.169° = 4°10'8"
oops.
θ = arcsin(6/83) = 4.145°
θ = arcsin(6/83) = 4.145°