Glider Testing

Overview

In this project, we were tasked with following along in this video and constructing the glider version of the plane. We then tested our designs and, through several tests, were able to learn about how to create a stable flight for the plane

Building Process

Part 1

The first thing we made was the fuselage, while making it we had to make sure that we made a B fold which meant that we folded on to the paper

Following that, we made the nose of the plane with the similar B fold and secured the two together using barbeque skewers, additonaly the T-Key that can be seen jutted out on the top also kept the plan secure without making a permanet fixture meaning that it could be switched out with the rc flight nose at any time

Part 2

Following the construction of the nose and fuselage, we built the tail, which came in two parts: the vertical rudder and the horizontal elevator. We had to make sure not to score the vertical rudder as doing so would detrimentally affect the straight flight ability of the glider. To secure the tail, we slide the rudder from the bottom up for a clean fit and glue it on the sides

Part 3

The final step of assembly was the wing of the plane. The first step was the most difficult one as I needed to bend the front without tearing it. To do this I tapped down the side that would bent so that while bending it, I would feel resistance when the paper was about to break and I could fix it. To fix it, I used a sharpie on the other side to create a large divot and after an excessive amount of pressing, I was able to make it work.

After getting the fold done, I secured the bent front of the plane. To do this, I glued strips of the material to the unfolded part of the wing and then glued the folded part onto it.

The final thing I had to do was bend the wing I used a tool that was a piece of material designed to bend the wing at the same angle on both sides. After gluing it down, it looked like this:

Fully Assembled

Balancing the Plane

Without Weight

I noticed that the C.O.G. (Center of Gravity) was much further back when I had no extra weight than where the holes were for securing it with weight

With Weight

Tests

Test 1

IMG_1048.MOV

Test 2

Changes

After seeing the sudden nose drop, I looked over the glider troubleshooting guide and looked under the section about the nose diving. The first thing I tried was adjusting the weight that was on the nose up a few times. This can be seen by my several marks to note when I went too far or not enough

IMG_1049.MOV

Test 3

Changes

After seeing an insignificant change in the nose diving, I looked at the sheet again and saw that under the recommendation about the weight, it mentioned the horizontal elevator. It said to bend it up 10 mm because it would push the tail down and the nose up. Following these instructions, I folded the elevator up and secured it to the vertical rudder using tape, and it helped improve the flight dramatically.

IMG_1050.MOV

Reflection

This project taught me a lot about all the differing factors that impact the flight path of a plane. From making sure the weight balance between the front and back is stable to securing the rudder so that it doesn't influence the path of the plane, there was plenty to account for and showed me how technical and precise mechanical engineers have to be when designing and building anything.

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