7th Grade Glider Science Projects

Lots of 7th grade students want to make science fair projects
with wind tunnels...

Were You Born to Glide?!

Birds glide easily through the skies, but it was not until recently that man began to make gliders. The hang glider in particular was only invented about 50 years ago. Imagine the hundreds of years before man could figure out the simple ideas of aerodynamics that birds learn while they are just a few weeks old!

Lift, Applied: Optimizing the Lift of a Glider

Jymette
Grade 8

Objectives/Goals

The objective is to find the lifting capacity of a certain airfoil within the testing conditions of a self-constructed wind tunnel. Wtih the results obtained a flying machine will be designed and fabricated.

Methods/Materials

A wind tunnel was built of lightweight materials, using the general design principles from my 2001 science fair project. From the results of last year's project, a certain airfoil shape was selected and its lifting capacity was measured using the wind tunnel. The data was applied to the design of the glider.

Results

Due to measurement difficulties (excessive friction on the guide wires for the airfoil), the angle of attack that was chosen for the wings of the glider resulted in an excess of lift from the forward wing. Adjustments were made to lessen the angle of attack of the forward wing, resulting in successful flight. Modifications to the lift measurement mechanism are in progress, and will be displayed at the State Science Fair.

Conclusions/Discussion

This project shows that it is practical to use test data to build a functioning machine, in this case, a glider.

Summary Statement

In a continuing project, test data was gathered, then utilized to design a successful flying machine.

Help Received

Father helped in design of wind tunnel, the using of power tools, and explaining procedure. Mother helped in gathering resources, proof reading, and presentation. 3rd party contributor.