Acrobat Glider

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to learn about aeronautics by constructing an acrobat glider.

Materials

• plastic foam meat tray (25-30 cm long)
• scissors
• emery board or fine-grade sandpaper
• dime
• thin marker
• large and small paper clips
• pencil
• science journal
• cellophane tape

Procedure

1. Cut out the Acrobat Glider pattern.
2. Place the pattern on the plastic foam tray. Be sure that the entire pattern is on the plastic foam.
3. Carefully use a small piece of cellophane tape on either end to keep the edges down when you trace and then cut out the pattern.
4. Trace around the outline, push the tip of a pencil halfway through the balance point mark, and use the thin marker to create the dashed lines near the edge of each wing.
5. With Adult Supervision, cut out the pattern carefully with a pair of sharp scissors.
6. Use an emery board or a piece of fine grade sandpaper to shape the upper surface and create an airfoil shape (Acrobat Glider) from the plastic foam. NOTE: (See airfoil cross-section image below.) Take your time and do your best to make the sides symmetrical!
   
   
7. Along the dashed lines, carefully bend up the ends of the glider about 1/2 cm, where you made dash marks on the end of the wing when tracing the pattern onto the plastic foam.
   
   
8. Add a dime or paper clip nose weight to the Acrobat Glider until the glider hangs level or slightly nose down when balanced at the balance point. NOTE: Use your index finger just as you would spin a basketball. The nose weight should be directly in line with the balance point.
9. Go to an open area and test the Acrobat Glider with a number of gentle flights.
10. Record your observations in a science journal or on an investigation log. NOTE: Change the launching techniques until you get a straightforward path.

Conclusion

1. What did you do to stop the Acrobat Glider from diving to the ground?
2. What did you do to stop the Acrobat Glider from swooping upward?
3. What causes the model to bank towards one direction or the other?
4. How did you correct a stalling glider?

---

Answer Key

1. What did you do to stop the Acrobat Glider from diving to the ground?

To stop the Acrobat Glider from diving, bend up the upturned trailing edge a bit more.

2. What did you do to stop the Acrobat Glider from swooping upward?

To stop the Acrobat Glider from swooping upward, bend the upturned trailing edge down more.

3. What causes the model to bank towards one direction or the other?

To stop the Acrobat Glider from banking in one direction, flatten the upturned wing tip slightly in the direction opposite the direction it currently is banking towards while in flight.

4. How did you correct a stalling glider?

To stop the Acrobat Glider from stalling, move the dime (weight) slightly forward.