Sail Plane (hanging above)

Students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Center for Composite Materials and Structures completed and flew this experimental two-passenger sailplane (glider) in 1999. It is built with fiberglass, Kevlar, and graphite—affixed with epoxy—to produce high stiffness-to-weight ratios ideal for aircraft construction. Its wingspan is 56 feet.

NYSM H-2002.15.1 Gift of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Guiding Questions:

  • Compare the sailplane to the biplane: How are they similar and different?
  • What keeps the sailplane up in the air?
  • What keeps the biplane up in the air?
  • Why would the conservation department want to use an airplane?

Airplanes were used for spotting forest fires, as documented by these photos courtesy of NYS Archives:

 

Windows on New York