Research on the Influence of Airfoil on the Flying Performance of Glider

Abstract

Gliders are heavier-than-air fixed-wing aircraft that do not rely on power plants to fly, and are now widely used in scientific observation, daily entertainment, and other fields. After taking off, it only relies on the reaction force of air acting on its lifting surface for free flight. Different gliders can stay in the air for different amounts of time in different environments, which is mainly determined by the airfoil. Therefore, through literature reading, this paper understands its flight principle, and studies and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of existing airfoils by comparing the influence of different airfoils on flight performance. In view of the problems existing in the airfoil, rationality calculations and improvements are put forward, hoping to promote the development of the aviation industry. After research, the concave wing is by far the most suitable gliding airfoil, which can provide relatively large lift and stability, but there is still the problem of insufficient load. In order to improve these deficiencies, the airfoil is optimized by increasing the contact area between the airflow and the wing. For example, the defect can be improved by lengthening the length of the entire wing, reducing lateral airflow, and increasing the upward curvature of the wingtip.