Identify Problem

Design and build a small scale plane to be tested on its efficiency by flying in a counter-clockwise circle around a tetherball pole at decreasing voltages.

Constraints:

• Must have a wingspan/fuselage length of at most 14"

• Must be powered by only one motor

• Joints must use wood glue, hot glue, electrical tape, or masking tape

The final design didn't use the two vertical stabilizers as the wind tunnel simulations showed that it actually increased drag, as well as weight. I also tapered off the fuselage to further decrease weight.

The major problem I encountered in the build was the center of mass (where the airplane will balance) was very far forward, as I way overestimated the density of the balsa wood in Fusion. It needed to be closer to the middle or back of the wing but because the motor is so heavy, it was in front of the wing. I ended up adding a lot of electrical tape and wrapping solder around the tailfin to move the C(m) back.

The first time I tested, I found out that the propeller wasn't fully attached to the motor, and it flew off and hit Dunbar in the leg. In the second test, the motor was too strong and the was too weak, causing the motor to completely break off in sort of an extravagant manner, destroying the wing, and forcing me to completely rebuild. 

The third and last test went a lot better, it flew around in a circle quite a few times, getting a minimum voltage of about 4.65V. I wasn't getting as much lift as I wanted which is a problem with the airfoil, and there was also a vibration in the motor at lower voltages, meaning it could have done better.

If I were to redo this project, I'd use a thicker wing with a more defined airfoil to increase lift and hopefully increase efficiency. I'd also take videos and photos of the plane to put into the portfolio because why would you believe my plane was as cool as I make it sound?