....invent: From foam stick to a catapult-plane
What makes a piece of hard expanded foam fly? Is it an impulsion, a throwing technique? Maybe additional wings? Or extra weight Test it!
1
How to transform a hard foam stick in to a dart?
Find a fix target in the room at about 5-6 meters distance. Transform the foam stick so that it precisely hits the target.
Important: Your will later need small material from the packets. At the end of this task, it must all be taken apart and put back in the packets.
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Material:
1) Piece of hard expanded foam
2) Small strips of hard expanded foam
3) Double-sided tape
4) Adhesive roller
5) Packet of screws (to undo!)
6) Packet of paper clips (to undo!)
7) Packet of elastic bands (to undo!)
...invent: Transform your plane in a aerobatic plane
You have certainly already noticed the moving surfaces on a plane's wings. The plane can be piloted thanks to these ailerons.
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Transform your catapult-plane in an aerobatic plane
Can you make your catapult-plane realize these figures?
... a curve
... a barrel
... a looping?
4
Cut out of the 2 cm width paper a piece of 4 cm. Fix it with adhesive tape and cut the edges neatly off.
Test what happens when you slightly fold the pieces of paper (ailerons).
5
If the rudder often falls off, you can fix it with two corners. Take two strips of thin white plastic, fold them and fix them with the adhesive roller. Make sure that the strips are flush against the foam and that there is no resistance to air.
6
Build your catapult-plane air fleet!
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Build your glider air fleet!
To build gliders according to your imagination, you can use strips of foam either thin or large, but not square. Like this, you will be able to build the motor-glider at the next step. You can find this material in building stores. It is a laminate floor underlay.
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Material for trials
1) Thin double strip of hard foam
2) Large strip of hard foam (Careful: No square pieces!)
3) Straws
4) Different weights
5) Small elastic band (e.g. Rainbow-Loom elastic)
6) Adhesive tape
9
It is important to be able to change or move the weight.
You can see on this picture an example of a solution: An appropriate weight is fixed on a straw with some adhesive tape. The straw is then cut. Fixed to a small elastic, the weight can be easily shifted to the back or to the front.
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Here are two planes built with large strips of foam.
What are your ideas?