Wangenheim Weekly Review (5/12/25)

Hey Wildcats! We’re back this week with another project on airplanes. Using balsa wood, paper, and glue, we’ll be building the structure of the plane. This will ultimately end up being a two week project to ensure we give the glue enough time to fully dry. Week 1) When planning this project, we have to be careful and make sure that the wings will be able to fully support the weight of the plane. That is why this week, we’re making sure the wings of the plane (which will be catching the air) are super sturdy, adding extra glue to hold down the wood. Next week we will be cutting around the wood to create the wings and to assemble the body of the plane. Week 2) With the wings of our aircraft created, we started assembling the rest of our plane. Taking the wings, we connected them with a piece of balsa wood which will act as the body. This will also give our plane more weight, strengthening the overall structure. At the front of the plane, using popsicle sticks, we added a nose to the front, giving it a more aerodynamic shape. After putting all the components together, we went to the second floor of a building to test our projects. A few of the planes were able to fly a few feet but a majority of them ended up circling around an either going off to the side or landing behind the original starting point. Overall, this has been a super fun few weeks, getting to be able to build these planes. We’ll see you next time Wildcats!