High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. They have rigid wings and an undercarriage. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are also used for gliding and soaring, but have engines which can be used for extending a flight and, for some types, for take-off. Aircraft such as hang gliders and paragliders are foot-launched and so are described in separate articles, though their differences from sailplanes are covered below. Glider aircraft that are used for purposes other than recreation, for example for military purposes, do not soar.