02-05-2012, 03:33 PM
GLIDER BASICS
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FUSELAGE
It can be defined as the main body of a glider
Comparing it with a conventional aircraft, the
fuselage is the main structure that houses the flight
crew, passengers, and cargo. Howsoever, in this case
it is only a 2-D fuselage.
It is cambered and in the middle portion, we attach
the wing around the position where the camber is
maximum by either making a slot in the fuselage, or
by dividing in two parts and then attaching
WING
It is the most essential part of a plane.
When air flows past it, due to the difference in
curvature of its upper and lower parts lift is
generated, which is responsible for balancing
the weight of the plane, and the body can thus
fly.
BASIC TERMINOLOGY OF WING
Airfoil: Cross sectional shape of a wing
Leading Edge: Front edge of wing
Trailing Edge: Back edge of wing
Chord Line: Line connecting LE to TE
Camber line: A line joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil
equidistant from the upper and lower surfaces . High camber found on
slow flying high lift aircraft.
Camber: It is the asymmetry between the top and the bottom curves of
an aerofoil in cross-section.
SOME TERMINOLOGIES
Wing loading is defined as the weight of the aircraft divided by the wing
area.
The glide ratio is the distance travelled in a horizontal direction
compared with the vertical distance dropped on a normal glide.
A 20 to 1 glide ratio means that the aircraft would lose one foot of
altitude for every twenty feet of distance travelled
Ballast is extra weight added to a glider to help it penetrate better in
windy weather or to increase its speed.
We generally add paper clips and/or coins on the nose in balsa gliders.