Aerodynamic Design Project

An aerodynamic design study that took a glider from airfoil selection through wing sizing and lift optimization.

I worked through the aerodynamic design of a glider from the airfoil up, running airfoil analysis and selection across multiple configurations using performance datasets. To size the wing, I built a multi-airfoil comparison model that drove my performance calculations and let me weigh the tradeoffs each configuration made between lift and drag. I pulled in experimental and published research data to ground those decisions, iterating on the design to improve its lift characteristics and land on a configuration that balanced lift against drag.