The main issue is that trucks, they produce CO2 and also are slow when delivering packages due to them having to stop in many different locations before yours. The solution people go to is drones, but drones are noisy, require a decent amount of maintenance, cannot fly for too long, and also disturb neighborhoods when passing over. Drones aren't the final answer, so I'm trying to fix that.

Goals For The Project

- Find a better solution to noise pollution from drones that is cost effective and produces no CO2 - Also find a better solution to delivering packages to remote areas over long distances - The solution must be easy to build\, cheap to maintain\, cheap to fly\, and easy to fly.

Hypothesis

If we use cargo gliders instead of drones or trucks for deliveries then we could send packages to remote areas over long distances as well as lower noise and CO2 pollution, and remove some drones from the sky and packages from trucks because gliders don't use fans or propellers like drones do and don't use engines like trucks do.

Phases

I split my project into 4 separate phases, those being: 1. Design - The actual process of designing the glider 2. Simulation - Testing the glider in simulators or calculations to prove that it can fly 3. Building - The phase where we build the glider using the correct materials 4. Flight Tests - Actually flying the glider to prove its capabilities

When testing my glider, the data for its max distance, glide ratio, and speed stayed the same in average condition no matter the altitude. When wind increases, max distance and speed grew and shrank as long as your were gliding into the wind or with the wind, as when you are heading into it, more air is flowing into it slowing you down a lot therefore shrinking your max range over the ground. When you are flying with the wind behind you, you gain speed so the lift is spread amongst a larger area, increasing range and speed. Although if you were gliding into the wind your speed would decrease as there is more air resistance on the glider. When temperatures dropped everything stayed the same for the most part, electric components did take a slight hit but that is all.

As an example, if the headwind was 20 km/h and ground speed is 43 km/h, the glide ratio would change from 12:1 (12 Meters in horizontal distance for every 1 meter in altitude) to 6:1 (6 Meters in horizontal distance for 1 meter in altitude).

In testing, I found that the air glide ratio stayed the same in any wind, because wind only affects how far you travel over the ground. With a headwind, the same amount of air travels over the wings, although air resistance increases and the glider's speed slows down, making the range over the ground decrease due to this. The opposite is true for tailwind, therefore, my testing has shown that wind changes distance travelled over ground.

I could only test so much due to weather being too cold to go out most days when the glider was built, but in the times I did fly, I got valuable data and info for it.

My hypothesis was fully supported as in my testing, gliders could carry packages over longer distances, faster, and with no CO2 output. It also did have a lower cost than drones and trucks allowing for more gliders to be put into the sky if needed. With my data I did prove that gliders could replace some drones from the sky when carrying lighter and smaller packages throughout the sky.

I learned that a cargo glider is very feasible to transport packages on the lighter and smaller end while being cost-effect, easy to maintain and manufacture, and also easy to use as an operator of the glider. My results are very clear that it is indeed possible to replace some drones using gliders for the lighter & smaller packages, as well as also being more friendly to neighborhoods in terms of noise and traffic. It also proved to be cheaper to maintain and fly that drones and trucks.

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Flite Test | RC Planes\, Quadcopters\, Videos\, Articles & More. (2019). Flitetest.com; FliteTest. https://www.flitetest.com

Homepage - CST The Composites Store, Inc. (2024). Cstsales.com. https://www.cstsales.com

Model FMS. (2025, June 17). RC Plane Wing Design: Understanding Aerodynamics. FMS Model. https://www.fmshobby.com/blogs/news/rc-wing-design-guide

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I acknowledge that my parents did support me in getting the materials needed to make the glider as well as the tools needed to make the glider. I also acknowledge that my friend from school did help me out when making the shape of the nose as he suggested that. I also acknowledge that I did use AI to help me learn Fusion 360, which is the tool that I use to model the glider, but it did not suggest any ideas in any way shape or form, I just told it my ideas and it helped me make them into reality.