Up, Up, and Away
By Steve H.
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to determine
which of three planes would be the best cargo plane. To conduct this experiment,
a 750 cm piece of asphalt was used to determine the distance that each plane
flew. A plane launcher was built and of course three plane models were built
(Amelia, Canard, and White Lark). Each plane was made from paper and glued
together. Chalk was used to mark where each plane landed. Three tests were
conducted to determine which plane was the best cargo plane. The first test
consisted of each plane being launched ten times with no weight attached
to the plane. The second test consisted of each plane being launched ten
times with 0.6 grams attached to each plane. The third test consisted of
each plane being launched ten times with 1.2 grams attached to each plane.
It was found that the Canard outflew the Amelia
by 4% in the first test and the White Lark by 51%. The Amelia dominated
both the second and third tests. It outflew the Canard by 22% in the second
test and 36% in the third. The Amelia outflew the White Lark by 39% in the
second test and 49% in the third test. The Amelia was determined the best
cargo plane out of the three.