Wright Stuff
Division: Div C – High School
NC Essential Standards Alignment: Science as Inquiry
Event Rules: See the National rule manual
Event Score Sheet: None
National Event Page: Here
Required Materials: Teams MUST bring Safety Glasses and may bring up to 2 airplanes, any tools, their flight log, and two stand-alone calculators of any type. Event Supervisors will provide all measurement tools and timing devices.
Clarifications:
In NC, participants will be required to wear safety glasses while in the flight area.
Description:
Prior to the tournament, teams will construct, collect data on test flights, analyze and optimize free flight rubber-powered Airplanes to achieve maximum time aloft.
Materials:
Teams MUST bring Safety Spectacles and may bring up to 2 airplanes, any tools, and their flight log. Event Supervisors will provide all measurement tools and timing devices.
Scoring:
High score wins. Points are earned for seconds aloft. Teams missing part or all of their flight log will be penalized.
Common Mistakes:
Don’t forget your flight log! This is an easy penalty to avoid.
Recommendations:
These flights will take place in some sort of gym, either a basketball court or an open arena, depending on where you compete. If you do not have access to a gym, reach out to other competitors at nearby middle or high schools and see if you can share practice time with them.
Balsa wood can be bought at most hobby stores, or in bulk from Tower Hobbies or other online stores
Rubber band motors and winders can be bought at some hobby stores, or from Midwest or other online stores, search for rubber motor or contest rubber. Also, make sure you know the gear ratio of your winder. 1:5, 1:8, and 1:16 are all common, and will affect how many turns you make to achieve the ideal number of winds on your motor. The first number (1) is how many times you turn the crank compared to how many times your motor is turned on the output side (the 2nd number).
Event Resources:
Wright Stuff Nationals Video
- Kits and Supplies:
FAI Model Supply (supplies, rubber, winders)
Freedom Flight Models (kits, supplies, rubber, winders)
Indoor Free Flight Supply (supplies, rubber, winders)
J&H Aerospace (kits, supplies, rubber, winders)
Laser Cut Planes (Mountain Lion)
Retro RC (kits, supplies, rubber, winders)
Free Flight – Science Olympiad
Previous Resources:
2017 Coaches Clinic Presentation – Flying tools
2017 Coaches Clinic Presentation – Wright Stuff
Laser Cut Planes
MySO October 2021 Flight Resources
Guru Engineering Tech
The National Free Flight Society
2021 Coaches Clinic Presentation
Media:
