Student Directions:How to make a Wright Soda-Straw Glider
- You will need a standard straw, two 2 x 8-inch strips cut out of a manila file folder, (or 5 X 8-inch note card), large and small paper clips, (or modeling clay), a ruler and masking tape.
- Cut out a 1 x 2-inch vertical fin from one end of a 2 x 8-inch strip. The fin should also include a 1-inch base that can be inserted into the straw.
- Cut 1/2-inch slits in the vertical fin to make a rudder.
- Cut a short 1-inch slit in the top of the straw with scissors and insert the vertical fin. (Your teacher may have already split your straw with a razor.)
- Make a wing from a 2-inch strip of manila file folder. The wing should measure 2 x 8 inches.
- Fold and crease the center of the wing. This crease will give the wing dihedral and stabilize the aircraft. In addition, fold the last inch of each wing. These extra folds will strengthen the wing and increase stability.
- Place the wing at the end of the vertical fin. See the picture below. Align the straw along the center crease of the wing and attach the wing with masking tape. Place tape on the top of the wing and straw.
- At this point the glider should look like this:
- Cut out a 2 x 4-inch section from the manila strip, which will serve as the front “horizontal rudder” of your airplane. (H.R. for short)
- Find the middle of the horizontal rudder and attach it to the front of your straw with masking tape.
- Add elevators by cutting 1-inch slits in the trailing edge of the horizontal rudder.
- Your glider should now look like this from the front:
- Balance the airplane by attaching 1 to 3 paper clips to the front of the straw. Clay may be substituted for paper clips.
- Adjust the elevators on the forward rudder to attain lift. If your plane stalls and lands on its tail, readjust the elevators or add more weight to the nose of the glider. Readjust the elevators or remove weight if it dives on its nose.
- Check the balance of your airplane by gliding and/or dropping it. A well-balanced glider will parachute down if dropped and begin to fly forward.
This image illustrates the relatively safe parachute-style response following a stall of the canard configuration used by the Wright brothers. The violent spin and nosedive typical of a rear-tailed configuration upon stalling is depicted at the right.
Working With Wright Glider-
Teacher Information:
- This is a good activity to illustrate how the Wright brothers discovered the subtleties of control.
- Allow your students to experiment with control surfaces and discover how to control the flight path of their gliders.
- To make the Wright glider bank left, gently twist the leading edge of the right wing up and twist the leading edge of the left wing down.
- Adjust the rudder so that it points slightly toward the left.
- Test the glider.
- To make the Wright glider bank to the right, gently warp the leading edge of the right wing down and warp the leading edge of the left wing up.
- Adjust the rudder so that it points slightly toward the right.
- Keep “tweaking” the Wright glider until it flies.
Some science questions:
- The wings and the air push against each other while the plane flies. Which pushes with more force during flight? According to Newton’s 3rd Law, they push with equal and opposite force.
- Why are less massive planes easier to accelerate? Smaller planes have less inertia and are easier to move. In addition, according to Newton’s second law, F =ma, the acceleration of an object is inversely proportional to its mass. In other words, big objects are difficult to move and small objects are easier to move.
- What force of flight acts on a plane that rests on the ground? Weight.
- Which force of flight is greater as a plane accelerates forward? Drag or thrust? Thrust is greater than drag as the plane accelerates forward.
- Why is there a limit to how fast a plane can fly? Air resistance, or drag, prevents a plane from infinitely increasing its speed. When the plane flies level at constant speed, drag equals thrust.