On August 9, 1896, the “Glider King,” Otto Lilienthal, took his last flight. He had completed over 2,000 successful glider flights. Unfortunately, this fateful flight ended in a severe accident, which took his life. We often hear about the Wright Brothers and their incredible work on manned flight. However, they stood on the shoulders of the work of Otto Lilienthal.

In his honor, AeroAcademy is holding the very first international virtual glider competition. We invite you to join the fun! Design a glider, submit it for the competition, watch your glider fly in a simulator, and have a blast learning about aircraft design!

Additional information is forthcoming, including competition rules, free cloud-based software for designing your glider, and access to a simulator to test your glider before the competition. Sign up now to reserve your spot in the competition and be the first to receive updates as they come out.

This competition is ideal for:

• Hobbyists who have some practical skills but limited aerodynamic, theoretical, or design background

• Anyone who would love to try their hand at aircraft design using software and simulation

• Anyone interested in aircraft design – regardless of current occupation or experience

• Anyone looking to branch out and learn something new and exciting!

You’ll naturally build skills including the following:

• Wing Design and Optimization – Learn to use MachUp for wing design, and how taper and twist affect performance.

• Mass Properties – Learn to estimate the mass properties of your aircraft, including the center of mass and moments of inertia.

• Static Trim – Learn how to design the mounting angles of the main wing and horizontal stabilizer so the aircraft will be trim.

• Static Stability – Learn to size and place the main wing and horizontal stabilizer to ensure static stability.

• Dynamic Stability – Learn how to estimate the dynamic properties of the aircraft and how they affect performance.

• Flight Simulation – Enter your final design in the virtual competition and see how it stacks up against others in a realistic flight simulator!

Nuts and Bolts

• When: The actual competition will take place virtually on August 9, 2022 and be streamed live online.

• What: Register now and get updates throughout the coming months.

• How: You will be provided with cloud-based software for your entire glider design. No need to download/install any software. You’ll be provided all the resources to design and submit your glider.