Question

A helicopter flying 1,600 feet above the ground spots an airplaneflying above. If the horizontal distance between the helicopter andairplane is 3,055 feet and the angle of elevation is 71°, find theairplane’saltitude

Answer 1

10472. 4 ft

Explanation:

Let the height of the plane above the helicopter be "h"

We have a right triangle where the side opposite the 71 degree angle = h and the side adjacent to this angle = 3055

So we can use the tangent here

tan (71) = h / 3055 multiply both sides by 3055

3055 * tan (71) = h ≈ 8872.4 ft

So.......the total altitude of the plane is

1600 + 8872.4 =

10472. 4 ft