How do you make cardboard fly?

Answer 1

If you throw the cardboard at a 56 degree angle with an aerodynamic fram, your cardboard structure will fly for around 4,500 feet. If you throw the cardboard at a 56 degree angle with an aerodynamic fram, your cardboard structure will fly for around 4,500 feet.

Answer 2

There are two forces in play that act to prevent flight. These are called weight (which is the force due to gravity pulling an object "down") and drag (which is a force felt by a body as it moves through the air due to air resistance).

In order to overcome weight, an aircraft must produce enough lift. Lift is a force that overcomes weight and causes an aircraft to be able to climb up into the air. Then the aircraft balances the lift with the weight in order to maintain a constant height (when it cruises). It is then able to further reduce lift when it wants to descend again.

On a regular aircraft lift is created by the movement of the wings through the air. The wings are specially shaped for this purpose. The top side of the wing is curved so that when air passes over a wing it has to travel a greater distance, and therefore faster, above the wing than below. This creates less pressure above the wing than below it and it is this which produces lift.

You can try this and see for yourself. If you get a sheet of paper and hold it (at the nearest corners to you) in front of your mouth, the paper will dangle down (where you are not holding it). If you then blow hard across the top of the paper you will notice that it rises! You have created lift!

Drag is the same force experienced by motor cars (or anything) as it travels through the air. On a powered aircraft drag is overcome by the thrust of the engines. This allows the plane to move forward through the air, which in turn creates lift as the air passes over the wings. Naturally, an aerodynamic shape helps here.

So in summary, to make something fly in a controlled manner, you need to be able to create, and control, both lift and thrust.