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Abstract
Aeromodelling is the activity of using miniature aircraft models for recreational, educational and sporting purposes such as gliders. Gliders were the subject of important innovation, especially in the context of small hand launch gliders with low launch ratios, which affected their coverage capabilities. Gliders generally have wide wings and a high glide rate, while balsa gliders help humans understand aerodynamics economically. In glider manufacturing, the connection between the fuselage and the wings must be strong to handle the proper load. Therefore, a design is required that allows to achieve the optimal lift-to-drag ratio while balancing the load on the wing. This research uses an experimental method where researchers can study the effect of hand launch gliders on flight performance such as speed, time and distance when added with motor propulsion. The design of this research is to compare the effects of using a motor versus not using a motor on the glider aircraft. To carry out this research, the design of the hand launch glider aircraft and the type of motor that will be prepared using XFLR5 software. The flight performance results of the hand launch glider aircraft without a motor and using a motor were carried out by flight testing. The results of the hand launch glider flight test without a motor were 11 seconds, resulting in a cruising speed of 2 m/s. Meanwhile, the hand launch glider performance uses a motor with a flight time of 6 minutes resulting in a cruising speed of 5 m/s