1. SECME Glider Competition 2015 Mrs. Guenther
Glider Design
SECME Glider Competition 2015
Mrs. Guenther

2. Part of a Glider
Horizontal stabilizer
Vertical stabilizer

3. Requirements
Wingspan: minimum of 2 feet (24 inches) wing tip-to-wing tip
Weight:
No less than 6 ounces (with marbles)
No more than 10 ounces (with marbles)
Payload:
Must carry 16 marbles (2.1 ounces)
Must be housed in a single location
Body/Fuselage:
No more than 4 inches wide
No more than 4 inches high

4. Helpful Hints: Balance – Center of Gravity is important
“Finger Test”
Done around the middle of the wing because it is the source of Lift
Center of Gravity should be just a little bit in front of Center of Lift

5. Helpful Hints: Wing Placement
Wing should be about ¼ (of the length) back

6. Helpful Hints: Tail
Without a tail the airplane doesn’t know how to keep its nose forward
Tail Wings:
Vertical Stabilizer – helps with rotational movement left & right (yaw)
Vertical Stabilizer about 10x smaller that wing’s surface
Horizontal Stabilizer – helps with up & down motion (pitch)Horizontal Stabilizer about 5x smaller that wing’s surface
If wing was 30 inches long…
Vertical Stabilizer = 30÷10=3 inches long
Horizontal Stabilizer = 30÷5=6 inches long