Softex-Aero V-51

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/softex-aero-v-51

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the aircraft designation?Softex-Aero V-51
2. What is the lead engineer?Dr. Francis Rogallo
3. Who helped make the V-51 and why?Dr. Francis Rogallo, an engineer who worked for NACA (the early NASA), designed the V-51. He wanted an airplane that was easy to build, easy to fly, and would stay steady even if something went wrong.
4. How does the V-51's flexible wing work?Its wing was made of fabric stretched over a frame that could flex. When the wind pushed on it, the wing would bend just right to keep the plane steady and help it glide smoothly.

Aeronautical Engineering: The branch of engineering concerned with the design, development, and operation of aircraft.
Airfoil: The cross-sectional shape of a wing or blade designed to produce lift when moving through a fluid.
Passive Stability: The inherent ability of an aircraft to return to a stable flight condition after being disturbed, without pilot input.
Parafoil: A flexible wing, typically rectangular or triangular, that inflates with air to create lift.