Gossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mphvsPiper PA-28 Cherokee — the Hershey-bar wing
root section l7769 → naca652415 · dihedral 3.00° → 7.00° · sweep parameter 11.711 → 0.000 · te thickness 2 mm → 3 mm · taper 0.500 → 1.000 · area 66293551 mm² → 14868144 mm²
units
These analyses are not directly comparable
- different trim loads (942 N vs 9565 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
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee — the Hershey-bar wing
What changed
| Property | Gossamer Condor | Piper PA-28 Cherokee | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | ||||
| Span | 29260 mm | 9144 mm | -20116 mm | -68.7% |
| Root chord | 2862 mm | 1626 mm | -1236 mm | -43.2% |
| Tip chord | 1431 mm | 1626 mm | +195 mm | +13.6% |
| Sweep parameter | 11.711 | 0.000 | -11.711 | -100.0% |
| Dihedral | 3.00° | 7.00° | +4.00° | +133.3% |
| TE thickness | 2 mm | 3 mm | +2 mm | +100.0% |
| Tip cap reach | 0.200 | 0.300 | +0.100 | +50.0% |
| Derived | ||||
| Aspect ratio | 12.914 | 5.624 | -7.291 | -56.5% |
| Area | 66293551 mm² | 14868144 mm² | -51425407 mm² | -77.6% |
| Taper | 0.500 | 1.000 | +0.500 | +100.0% |
| MAC | 2358 mm | 1626 mm | -732 mm | -31.1% |
| Sections | ||||
| Root section | l7769 | naca652415 | changed | — |
| Shapedeviation at matched span fractions, 64 samples | ||||
| Chord deviation (max) | 1236 mm | |||
| Chord deviation (RMS) | 789 mm | |||
| Twist deviation (max) | 0.00° | |||
| Dihedral deviation (max) | 205 mm | |||
| Tip cap deviation (max) | 10408 mm | |||
Performance
CoefficientsDimensionless — how good the shape is, independent of size and speed.
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×); “Piper PA-28 Cherokee” integrates to CL 0.007 against the polar’s CL at the same α (this analysis predates the loading reporting its own) 0.271 (0.03×). 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 | Gossamer Condor | Piper PA-28 Cherokee |
|---|---|---|
| 0.013 | 0.377 | 0.349 |
| 0.014 | 0.422 | 0.367 |
| 0.014 | 0.431 | 0.371 |
| 0.015 | 0.475 | 0.387 |
| 0.016 | 0.539 | 0.415 |
| 0.018 | 0.586 | 0.443 |
| 0.019 | 0.617 | 0.458 |
| 0.024 | 0.714 | 0.518 |
| 0.025 | 0.740 | 0.537 |
| 0.030 | 0.835 | 0.594 |
| 0.037 | 0.943 | 0.666 |
| 0.039 | 0.989 | 0.689 |
| 0.054 | 1.19 | 0.799 |
| 0.060 | 1.25 | 0.848 |
| 0.085 | 1.46 | 1.01 |