Gossamer Condor — 96 ft of wing at 11 mphvsDrela SuperGee II — a 1.5 m discus-launch glider, drawn to the plan
root section l7769 → ag455ct02r · tip section — → ag47ct02r · tip cap reach 0.200 → 0.400 · area 66293551 mm² → 218576 mm² · span 29260 mm → 1498 mm · root chord 2862 mm → 183 mm
units
These analyses are not directly comparable
- different trim loads (942 N vs 2 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
- Drela SuperGee II — a 1.5 m discus-launch glider, drawn to the plan
What changed
| Property | Gossamer Condor | Drela SuperGee II | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | ||||
| Span | 29260 mm | 1498 mm | -27762 mm | -94.9% |
| Root chord | 2862 mm | 183 mm | -2679 mm | -93.6% |
| Tip chord | 1431 mm | 94 mm | -1337 mm | -93.4% |
| Sweep parameter | 11.711 | 3.400 | -8.311 | -71.0% |
| Dihedral | 3.00° | 4.00° | +1.00° | +33.3% |
| TE thickness | 2 mm | 0 mm | -1 mm | -80.0% |
| Sections | 40 | 30 | -10 | -25.0% |
| Tip cap reach | 0.200 | 0.400 | +0.200 | +100.0% |
| Derived | ||||
| Aspect ratio | 12.914 | 10.266 | -2.648 | -20.5% |
| Area | 66293551 mm² | 218576 mm² | -66074975 mm² | -99.7% |
| Taper | 0.500 | 0.514 | +0.014 | +2.7% |
| MAC | 2358 mm | 151 mm | -2207 mm | -93.6% |
| Sections | ||||
| Root section | l7769 | ag455ct02r | changed | — |
| Tip section | — | ag47ct02r | changed | — |
| Shapedeviation at matched span fractions, 64 samples | ||||
| Chord deviation (max) | 2679 mm | |||
| Chord deviation (RMS) | 2162 mm | |||
| Twist deviation (max) | 0.00° | |||
| Dihedral deviation (max) | 714 mm | |||
| Tip cap deviation (max) | 14483 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×); “Drela SuperGee II” integrates to CL 0.056 against the polar’s CL at the same α (this analysis predates the loading reporting its own) 0.371 (0.15×). 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 | Drela SuperGee II |
|---|---|---|
| 8.75 | 22.79 | 13.28 |
| 9.41 | 25.08 | 15.90 |
| 9.60 | 25.71 | 16.67 |
| 10.24 | 27.83 | 17.75 |
| 10.45 | 28.46 | 18.11 |
| 11.07 | 30.35 | 18.70 |
| 11.30 | 30.86 | 18.91 |
| 11.91 | 32.21 | 19.19 |
| 12.15 | 32.39 | 19.30 |
| 12.74 | 32.83 | 19.33 |
| 13.00 | 32.66 | 19.35 |
| 13.57 | 32.27 | 19.19 |
| 13.85 | 31.85 | 19.11 |
| 14.41 | 31.02 | 18.79 |
| 14.70 | 30.54 | 18.62 |
| 15.24 | 29.65 | 18.21 |