Glider Design

Learning Objective

• Students will use Aery to design a stable-flying glider to achieve maximum distance and straight flight.

• Students will test and modify to improve their glider designs.

Project Description

Using the Aery software, students created a glider that aimed to have a high Aery number, which signifies high stability. Plans were printed out after the design was completed, and then the gliders were constructed using balsa wood and X-Acto knives. To add nose mass, clay was added to the tips. These gliders were tested for vertical and horizontal stability by launching them, and then were modified by sanding or adding tape to either wing to account for horizontal stability, and adjusting nose mass to account for vertical stability.

What I Learned

I learned how a glider's wing size and position, horizontal and vertical stabilizer position and size, fuselage length, and nose mass affects its ability to achieve stable flight. I also became more familiar with constructing parts using balsa wood.

Results

The final glider was fairly inconsistent - its direction varied heavily in the final competitive test. However, this happened two days after the final adjustments were made, and during that time the vertical stabilizer had broken off, so it wasn't exactly the same glider as before. Among our class, my glider did average for distance and pitch stability, but bad for directional stability. Adjustments that I had made included adding nose mass because it went straight up, then adding mass to the left wing/removing mass from the right wing because it kept flying to the right.

This method of testing and refinement included launching the launcher down a straight hallway and seeing how far it varied off from a straight course, both vertically and horizontally. If it went up or down, then adjustments such as adding nose mass were made. If it varied to the left or right, mass was added/removed from a wing.