MIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wingvsGossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mph
root section dae11 → l7769 · tip section dae31 → — · sweep parameter 0.484 → 11.711 · dihedral 1.00° → 3.00° · root chord 1050 mm → 2862 mm · mac 939 mm → 2358 mm
units
These analyses are not directly comparable
- different trim loads (1020 N vs 942 N) — each wing is carrying a different weight
The geometry comparison below is unaffected — it is a comparison of shapes, not of runs.
- MIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wing
- Gossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mph
What changed
| Property | MIT Daedalus 88 | Gossamer Condor | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | ||||
| Span | 34100 mm | 29260 mm | -4840 mm | -14.2% |
| Root chord | 1050 mm | 2862 mm | +1812 mm | +172.6% |
| Tip chord | 762 mm | 1431 mm | +669 mm | +87.8% |
| Sweep parameter | 0.484 | 11.711 | +11.227 | +2319.6% |
| Dihedral | 1.00° | 3.00° | +2.00° | +200.0% |
| Tip twist | -1.50° | 0.00° | +1.50° | -100.0% |
| Tip cap reach | 0.250 | 0.200 | -0.050 | -20.0% |
| Derived | ||||
| Aspect ratio | 36.667 | 12.914 | -23.753 | -64.8% |
| Area | 31712462 mm² | 66293551 mm² | +34581089 mm² | +109.0% |
| Taper | 0.726 | 0.500 | -0.226 | -31.1% |
| MAC | 939 mm | 2358 mm | +1419 mm | +151.1% |
| Sections | ||||
| Root section | dae11 | l7769 | changed | — |
| Tip section | dae31 | — | changed | — |
| Shapedeviation at matched span fractions, 64 samples | ||||
| Chord deviation (max) | 1812 mm | |||
| Chord deviation (RMS) | 1385 mm | |||
| Twist deviation (max) | 1.50° | |||
| Dihedral deviation (max) | 469 mm | |||
| Tip cap deviation (max) | 4070 mm | |||
Performance
CoefficientsDimensionless — how good the shape is, independent of size and speed.
ForcesNewtons and watts — what each wing actually carries and costs at this condition.
Spanwise
withheld — “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×); “Gossamer Condor” integrates to CL 0.112 against the polar’s CL at the same α (this analysis predates the loading reporting its own) 0.539 (0.21×). 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
| V (kt) | MIT Daedalus 88 | Gossamer Condor |
|---|---|---|
| 11.54 | 37.99 | 31.40 |
| 11.91 | 39.83 | 32.21 |
| 12.61 | 43.38 | 32.74 |
| 12.74 | 43.82 | 32.83 |
| 13.57 | 46.59 | 32.27 |
| 13.68 | 46.93 | 32.11 |
| 14.41 | 48.53 | 31.02 |
| 14.74 | 49.26 | 30.47 |
| 15.24 | 49.24 | 29.65 |