Cessna 172 Skyhawk — the most-built wing in aviationvsMIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wing
root section naca2412 → dae11 · tip section — → dae31 · aspect ratio 7.350 → 36.667 · span 11000 mm → 34100 mm · area 16463140 mm² → 31712462 mm² · sweep parameter 1.666 → 0.484
units
These analyses are not directly comparable
- different trim loads (10791 N vs 1020 N) — each wing is carrying a different weight
The geometry comparison below is unaffected — it is a comparison of shapes, not of runs.
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk — the most-built wing in aviation
- MIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wing
What changed
| Property | Cessna 172 Skyhawk | MIT Daedalus 88 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | ||||
| Span | 11000 mm | 34100 mm | +23100 mm | +210.0% |
| Root chord | 1630 mm | 1050 mm | -580 mm | -35.6% |
| Tip chord | 1310 mm | 762 mm | -548 mm | -41.8% |
| Sweep parameter | 1.666 | 0.484 | -1.182 | -70.9% |
| Dihedral | 1.73° | 1.00° | -0.73° | -42.2% |
| Tip twist | -3.00° | -1.50° | +1.50° | -50.0% |
| TE thickness | 3 mm | 2 mm | -2 mm | -50.0% |
| Tip cap reach | 0.200 | 0.250 | +0.050 | +25.0% |
| Derived | ||||
| Aspect ratio | 7.350 | 36.667 | +29.318 | +398.9% |
| Area | 16463140 mm² | 31712462 mm² | +15249321 mm² | +92.6% |
| Taper | 0.804 | 0.726 | -0.078 | -9.7% |
| MAC | 1504 mm | 939 mm | -565 mm | -37.5% |
| Sections | ||||
| Root section | naca2412 | dae11 | changed | — |
| Tip section | — | dae31 | changed | — |
| Shapedeviation at matched span fractions, 64 samples | ||||
| Chord deviation (max) | 580 mm | |||
| Chord deviation (RMS) | 567 mm | |||
| Twist deviation (max) | 1.50° | |||
| Dihedral deviation (max) | 131 mm | |||
| Tip cap deviation (max) | 11563 mm | |||
Performance
CoefficientsDimensionless — how good the shape is, independent of size and speed.
Spanwise
withheld — “Cessna 172 Skyhawk” integrates to CL 0.034 against the polar’s CL at the same α (this analysis predates the loading reporting its own) 0.344 (0.10×); “MIT Daedalus 88” integrates to CL 0.120 against the polar’s CL at the same α (this analysis predates the loading reporting its own) 0.913 (0.13×). A loading that does not integrate back to its own wing’s CL is not a coarse curve, it is a wrong one.
air, ρ = 1.225 kg/m³
data
| CD | Cessna 172 Skyhawk | MIT Daedalus 88 |
|---|---|---|
| 0.012 | 0.361 | 0.444 |
| 0.013 | 0.370 | 0.492 |
| 0.013 | 0.383 | 0.549 |
| 0.014 | 0.399 | 0.616 |
| 0.015 | 0.419 | 0.697 |
| 0.015 | 0.422 | 0.705 |
| 0.016 | 0.444 | 0.794 |
| 0.019 | 0.489 | 0.913 |
| 0.021 | 0.529 | 0.990 |
| 0.023 | 0.557 | 1.06 |
| 0.029 | 0.645 | 1.25 |
| 0.032 | 0.685 | 1.31 |
| 0.039 | 0.766 | 1.49 |