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Glider - "Kite" Project

Transport Phenomena Fall 2022

CAD render of the glider
CAD Render

Completed glider
Completed Glider

For Olin's Transport Phenomona class, students design, build, and fly a kite. Since gliders are more fun than kites, my team built the Leashed Buzzard, a free flight glider that is also capable of flying as a kite. Our design has features optimized for low Reynolds Number flight conditions typical of free flight gliders, including a custom airfoil.

CAD Drawing poster for Leashed Buzzard

Parts I worked on include:
- Solidworks to CAD the airframe
- Designed undercambered custom airfoil optimized for Low Reynolds numbers using Xfoil (via XFLR5 GUI)
- Used Solidworks mass properties to predict weight, CG, and amount of ballast needed based on measured material densities
- Laser cut parts from CAD
- Used Solidworks Drawings to create 1:1 manufacturing drawings
- Fabricated airframe from balsa wood and Esaki tissue paper
- Developed Mathematical model for angle of attack from equilibrium equations
- Flight testing

XFoil polars comparing SB009 and SB012 airfoils
XFoil polars (via XFLR5 GUI) comparing two iterations of the custom-designed airfoil. This analysis showed that the drop in performance from thickening to the foil from 9% to 12% did not adversly impact performance, despite the low Re flight conditions.

Free body diagram of kite mode
Equation of equilibrium from model
Free body diagram and mathematical model of kite mode

The completed glider flew great in both glider mode and kite mode, achieving a lift-to-drag ratio of close to 10:1 despite the low Reynolds Number conditions. Check it out below:


Glider Mode


Kite Mode

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Tip vortex visualization!