Purpose
To incorporate classroom knowledge plus new knowledge into the design, construction, and
testing of a balsa wood glider.
Goal
To design and build a balsa wood glider that meets all design requirements, capable of flying the
longest distance.
Requirements
1. Glider must fit in an 18” X 18” x 6” box
2. No propulsive devices
3. Hand launching only (thrown)
4. Balsa wood and glue construction only, no “finish” (paint, lacquer, etc.) is allowed
5. Modeling clay may be used for balance
6. There may be no metal of any kind on or in your glider

Paper 2 will then be a report of the construction and testing/refining process. This paper will

include three-view drawings of your glider.

Paper Assignment #2

A 7-10-page APA paper must be submitted which includes the sections below. Use the bullet
points below as an outline for the paper with each main bullet point as a Level 1 Header. Do not
include the wording in the parentheses.
 Introduction (Introduce your paper. Tell me what I am about to read)
 Prototype (This is a thorough description of your final prototype. But see below)
a. Construction (Tell me about the build process)
b. Description (Give me a general description of the glider)
 Flight Test Method (Give me a complete description of how you tested and modified your glider
to achieve the longest flight.)
 Results (Report the results of the flight testing. A table showing glide distances is a good
addition. Be sure to report average distance, average glide ratio (you may need to research what
this is), the longest and shortest flights)

Discussion (Discuss the entire project. What did you learn? What worked and what did not
work?)
 Description of Fuselage (Give me a thorough description of the fuselage of your glider)
 Description of Wing (airfoil shape, planform shape, b, c , AR, mounting location and AOI)
 Description of Empennage (Give me a thorough description of the empennage of your glider)
 The last section must include a figure, the Three-View Drawing. This should include a top, side,
and front view of the glider. Dimensions must be included on the image. All three views should
be on one page of the paper.
This second assignment is meant to record the construction and flight testing of your glider
and to describe your final prototype design for the competition. This paper, like the first, is to be
APA formatted (to include a Title Page). As before, no abstract is necessary. No reference page
is necessary since you are doing hands-on research for this assignment.
Your goal during flight testing is to maximize the range of your glider through systematic
modifications and trial and error. Try and get the glider to glide as far as possible. This
includes recording measurements of glide distance and calculations of glide ratio. The results
section should include quantitative data such as number of flights, average glide distance and
average glide ratio. The discussion section should include your thoughts on the flight-testing
process: problems encountered, your assessment of the problem, corrective actions taken, and
projection of your gliders distance when thrown from a height of 19 feet, based upon your
average glide ratio.
Then, you will describe your competition glider in writing and show images representing
your glider. The Three-View Drawing can be created in a CAD program (if you have access to
and know how to use one), Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Word (Draw Tools), or by hand (very
neatly using a straight edge on graph paper). The drawing should take up no more than one page
of the paper.