Extended Essay
Investigation of how the surface area of an aircraft’s cambered airfoil influences its glide distance.
Document Type
Extended Essay
Academic Context
IB Extended Essay
Category
Academic Research
Research Summary
This investigation explores the relationship between the surface area of a cambered airfoil and its resulting glide distance, analyzing the balance of lift and drag forces during unpowered flight. The study was motivated by a personal curiosity about whether aircraft could glide safely if forced to land without airport access.
Experimental Design
Data was collected using NASA's FoilSim simulation to model variations in lateral and frontal surface areas. These values were scaled to match the dimensions of a Boeing 787 to calculate theoretical glide ratios and distances, exploring airfoil glide performance through systematic simulation.
Key Findings
The analysis indicates that scaling both frontal and lateral surface areas proportionally does not yield a significant change in glide range. To maximize aerodynamic efficiency and glide range, increasing the lateral surface area while maintaining a constant frontal area proved to be the most effective approach.