Is it possible to build a working 100% LEGO glider with the Technic Catamaran sails?

Question

In the past I've tried to make working LEGO gliders but since all the LEGO sails were either too small or the wrong shape the only thing that ever kinda worked was using paper over Technic beams (in which case it's really the paper that's gliding, not the LEGO pieces).

Recently, LEGO has come out with some rather large plastic sails in their 42105 Technic Catamaran set, and I'm interested in trying to revive my old MOC idea.

Using the sails in the LEGO Technic Catamaran set, is it possible to make a 100% LEGO glider that really works?

Answer 1

As it turns out, the answer is yes! Even though the wings are flat and can't generate much lift, I was able to get up to about 15ft of distance on a 10ft drop.

^{click to watch the video}

Here's how I did it:

First, you're going to need 2 of the set, or at-least two copies of the sails and some common Technic pieces. This is because the sails in the set are two different sizes (and I wasn't able to get a two-wing design to balance anyway).

^{the plastic sail sheet}

Then you just build a really minimal and light-weight frame, with adjustable wing angles. Here's how I built mine, using only the parts from two copies of the set (click the images to view them larger):

^{glider top}

^{glider bottom}

You'll notice how this frame isn't very sturdy. Since the wings can't really generate lift anyway, there's no advantage to being able to throw it like a wooden or foam glider, and a stronger frame would just be dead weight.

The most-important thing about this design is being able to adjust the angle of the wings. Here's roughly the pitch that gave me the best results.

^{adjustable wing pitch}

I gotta say, I didn't have high hopes for this project going into it, but ultimately I was pleasantly surprised with the results!