2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper examines a low-cost, hand-launched glider activity that integrates construction, flight testing, and quantitative analysis in undergraduate Aerospace Engineering education. Twenty-six students built balsa-wood gliders, conducted iterative flight trials, and worked in teams to analyze performance by comparing theoretical predictions with observed flight behavior. Post-activity surveys administered several weeks later indicated learning across multiple domains, including aerodynamic concepts, craftsmanship and precision, theory-to-practice connections, design thinking, and student motivation. Students described developing understanding of stability, center-of-gravity effects, and airfoil geometry through immediate observable feedback and troubleshooting performance differences arising from small construction variations. The activity’s effectiveness appears to stem from three design features: rapid feedback loops, inherent performance variance that creates authentic engineering challenges, and structured analytical closure linking classroom theory to physical systems. Using materials costing approximately $5 per student and requiring only basic hand tools, this work demonstrates that accessible, construction-analysis activities can meaningfully bridge the theory–practice gap while fostering engagement across experience levels.