Introduction

The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, proposed a design challenge to all

students in post secondary institutions. The objective was to design and implement a new

glider aircraft that could fly for 75 seconds and carry a specified amount of weight. The

best aircraft would be chosen based on design ingenuity and, more importantly, the

amount of time it stayed air born with the largest load. Teams were allowed to be

advised by any source that did not qualify to compete, however these sources of

knowledge were prohibited from engaging in any repair work or flight operations.

To qualify for this event, the aircraft had to fit in a box with the following

dimensions: 1 meter high, 2 meters wide and 2 meters deep. Propulsion had to be

achieved by human power, and this power had to be achieved by one human. Once in the

air, the aircraft was allowed to by propelled by human interaction up to a maximum

height of 50 meters, at which time the tow rope had to disconnect. To qualify, it had to

demonstrate controlled flight without any load for a minimum of 75 seconds, after which

the aircraft was free to crash. Finally, for the teams that met these requirements, the

competition began, where by, points were awarded based on the following algorithm:

The successful gliders are, and always have been, those gliders which

demonstrated the optimum compromise. This meant designing an imperfect aircraft in

the most perfect way to meet requirements and accomplish the objective. For the

Ryerson Free Flight glider team, a team with no veteran members, this meant designing a

‘safe glider’ one that was proven to work, and one that could be improved upon in the

following competitions. The report illustrates the evolution of the first Ryerson Free

Flight glider, and acts as a stepping stone to future success.