How To Change The Center Of Mass Of A Wright Stuff Plane
What is center of mass
Center of mass, better known as center of gravity, is the point at which an object completely balances out.
When designing your Science Olympiad Wright Stuff plane, you need to properly adjust the center of mass for your plane, usually under the main wings, to allow the plane to fly.
In this post, we will discuss how you can modify the center of mass for your Wright Stuff plane and improve your flying results.
how to change the center of mass
Nose/tail Weight
By far, the simplest way to adjust the center or mass for your plane is to simply add weight to the nose or tail of the plane.
By adding weight to the tail of the plane, the center of mass for that plane will shift backward. This method should be used only if your plane is currently nosediving, or where the nose of the plane is too far downward during the plane’s flight. As the center of mass moves backward, the nosediving will continue to reduce until the plane either begins to fly stably or starts to stall instead. Therefore, it is important to measure any added weight to prevent stalling.
By adding weight to the nose of the plane, the center of mass for that plane will shift forward. This method should be used only if your plane is currently stalling, or where the tail of the plane is too far downward during the plane’s flight. As the center of mass moves forward, the stalling will continue to reduce until the plane either begins to fly stably or starts to nosedive instead. Therefore, it is important to measure any added weight to prevent nosediving.
wing placement
Another method to change the center of mass for your plane, is to shift the position of your wings on the fuselage. In the case that the wings are permanently attached to fuselage, try to add weight instead.
If you shift the wings further towards the nose of the plane, the center of mass will be shifted backwards. Therefore, it is important to finely adjust the position of the wings to prevent the plane from stalling.
If you shift the wings further towards the tail of the plane, the center of mass will be shifted forwards. Therefore, it is important to finely adjust the position of the wings to prevent the plane from nosediving.
Angle of incidence
If you feel that the center of mass of your plane is as it should be, it is a wise idea to begin adjusting the angle of incidence for your wings.
Increasing the angle of incidence can be used to reduce nosediving. Decreasing the angle of incidence can be used to reduce stalling.