A Walkalong Glider is basically a super light paper plane that you keep aloft by following it with a piece of cardboard or such. I’m finding plenty of videos like [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrgY_HHANfQ) that demonstrate how to make and fly one, but nothing really that clearly and concisely explains the aerodynamic principle at work
In: Physics
When you move a piece of cardboard behind the glider, it makes air flow over its wings, which helps keep it flying by generating lift. There is a name for it but for the life of me I cannot remember
The air that the cardboard is pushing up and forward as the person walks along with it is enough to keep the very light glider in the air and moving forward, it’s along the lines of a bird soaring in a mountain updraft but instead of the air moving over a mountain slope and being pushed up the cardboard slope is moved through the air pushing it up.
Found [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkalong_glider). I think it explains fairly well.
To be extremely simple, you’re pushing the air with the big piece of cardboard, and the air is pushing the glider. The glider wants to fall down, but because the piece of cardboard is angled up, the air keeps pushing it up. With the right technique, you can balance everything out and just keep it flying along by effectively just pushing it with that piece of cardboard.
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