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In this article, a nonthermal gliding arc discharge (GAD) was generated in an air flow driven by a 40-kHz alternating current (ac) constant-current electric power supply. The influence of gas flow rate on the discharge characteristics of gliding arc was investigated using electrical diagnostics and fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis method. The average discharge power, total harmonic distortion rate of arc voltage (THD ${_{u}}$), total harmonic distortion rate of arc current (THD ${_{i}}$), and the resistance of arc were experimentally studied. As the air flow rate increased from 4 to 12 L/min, it was found that the average discharge power of the gliding arc gradually decreased from 407.9 to 187.8 W. However, because of the nonlinear characteristics of the GAD circuit, with air flow rate increasing, both THDu and THDi linearly increased, while the resistance of arc gradually decreased from 26.3 to 14.1 $\text{k}\Omega $. Totally, the air flow rate influenced the discharge characteristics of the gliding arc mainly by ruling the average discharge power. Finally, for a better understanding of the discharge characteristics of the gliding arc, a discharge circuit model was further analyzed based on the average discharge power and reactive power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]