Introduction: Business Card Glider / Killing Machine
What do you do when you're bored at work and all you have are business cards to play with? You make a...
BUSINESS CARD GLIDER!
All you need are these ingredients:
-Business card
-Scissors
-Some paperclips
-A pen or pencil
-Tape (optional)
-A rad straightedge you got in elementary school
Step 1: Empennage
Using the ruler and pen/pencil, draw a line across the length of the business card about 1.5 cm from the edge.
Step 2: Vertical Stabilizer / Lifting Surface
Make two cuts along this line, from the outside edge on either side, but only going about 1.5 cm into the card. The more careful and precise you are, the better your plane will fly.
Fold each end up! This will be the tail section of your aircraft. I like to fold about 45 degrees, mainly because it's (a) stealthy and (b) it looks cool.
If your card has a natural camber, or bend, to it, fold away from the camber. If it doesn't, add a very slight one. This will provide lift.
Step 3: Payload
Apply paperclips. You're done! Now throw it!
There's a good chance it won't fly at first. That's fine, because now you'll have to tune it until it does. Slide the paperclips fore and aft, or bend the tail section up along the line you drew earlier, or fold the vertical stabilizers up a bit more.
Once you get your glider tuned, you can use the tape to secure the paperclips in place. Now go amuse your cat!
9 Comments
8 years ago on Step 2
Awesome! Thrown from a height of two meters, fly around 4 meters! Regards!
12 years ago on Introduction
Very good! This is a great design for a glider, a very simple one too. I developed a similar family of gliders with the same basic characteristics.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
did you use paper?
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Yes. The three airplanes above can be found here, here and here.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
this one is flung by a rubber band
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
That ain't a business card, what did you use?
12 years ago on Introduction
i was reading this but was interrupted by two mormon missionaries on my porch. they gave me a business card haha!
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
thats not cool to make fun of us
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
ya, i agree with 333154