2022/05/17 by Quentin Da Cruz Lopes, Sophie Ramananarivo, Caroline Cohen +1 · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.pop-ph #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1119/5.0101359
arxiv published 2022/05/17 · arxiv updated 2023/02/06
We designed and built a reduced-scale model experiment to study the paragliding inflation and launching phase at given traction force. We show that the launch trajectory of a single skin glider is universal, that is, independent of the exerted force. As a consequence, the length of the take-off run required for the glider to reach its "ready to launch" vertical position is also universal. We successfully compare our results to full-scale experiments, and show that such universality can be understood through a simple theoretical model.