Gossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mphvsMIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wing
root section l7769 → dae11 · tip section — → dae31 · aspect ratio 12.914 → 36.667 · sweep parameter 11.711 → 0.484 · dihedral 3.00° → 1.00° · root chord 2862 mm → 1050 mm
units
These analyses are not directly comparable
- different trim loads (942 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.
- Gossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mph
- MIT Daedalus 88 — the 34 m human-powered wing
What changed
| Property | Gossamer Condor | MIT Daedalus 88 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | ||||
| Span | 29260 mm | 34100 mm | +4840 mm | +16.5% |
| Root chord | 2862 mm | 1050 mm | -1812 mm | -63.3% |
| Tip chord | 1431 mm | 762 mm | -669 mm | -46.8% |
| Sweep parameter | 11.711 | 0.484 | -11.227 | -95.9% |
| Dihedral | 3.00° | 1.00° | -2.00° | -66.7% |
| Tip twist | 0.00° | -1.50° | -1.50° | — |
| Tip cap reach | 0.200 | 0.250 | +0.050 | +25.0% |
| Derived | ||||
| Aspect ratio | 12.914 | 36.667 | +23.753 | +183.9% |
| Area | 66293551 mm² | 31712462 mm² | -34581089 mm² | -52.2% |
| Taper | 0.500 | 0.726 | +0.226 | +45.1% |
| MAC | 2358 mm | 939 mm | -1419 mm | -60.2% |
| Sections | ||||
| Root section | l7769 | dae11 | 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 — “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×); “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
| V (kt) | Gossamer Condor | MIT Daedalus 88 |
|---|---|---|
| 11.54 | 31.40 | 37.99 |
| 11.91 | 32.21 | 39.83 |
| 12.61 | 32.74 | 43.38 |
| 12.74 | 32.83 | 43.82 |
| 13.57 | 32.27 | 46.59 |
| 13.68 | 32.11 | 46.93 |
| 14.41 | 31.02 | 48.53 |
| 14.74 | 30.47 | 49.26 |
| 15.24 | 29.65 | 49.24 |