Can I make a glider that does not use any kind of engines?

[RainDreamer]

I am thinking of making a rover/glider combo for biome hopping on kerbin, and I am wondering if it is possible to design a glider that can take off and fly a decent distance through forward movement by the wheels alone without assist from any engines?

Edit: I use FAR, if that is any help.

Edited December 15, 2014 by RainDreamer

[Wanderfound]

Very hard in stock, not easy in FAR.

Unless you're going for a clifftop launch, you'll need to accelerate to above flight speed on the ground. You will then lose a lot of that speed as soon as you pull the nose up, so you'd need a fair bit of margin as well.

Real world gliders either launch from altitude, exploit updrafts, or are towed into flight. Some sort of detachable rocket sled would probably allow you to attain sufficient speed; I doubt that rover wheels alone would manage it.

[Taki117]

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Infinite_glider

Take a look at this.

[numerobis]

You need enough lift to have you take off at your top rover speed, which is straightforward. But it's going to be boooring -- you won't get to speed up past that, nor can you build altitude by soaring in a thermal, since there are no thermals.

Unless, of course, you build an infiniglider. Control surfaces, when actuated, have some force going forward. With enough control surfaces you can reach escape velocity.

[Superfluous J]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Even if your wheels could get the glider up to a speed where it took off (which I'm not sure of but am doubtful), as soon as it left the ground it would lose all thrust and slow down to a velocity that wouldn't have any lift.

[Starman4308]

It's going to be difficult, and you aren't going to get much altitude. You've got to pay for your altitude with kinetic energy, so the absolute best you can get, off a 50 m/s boost from rover wheels, would be about 127 meters above your starting point.

If you don't mind cheating on the "glider" definition a bit, you can either go for a Firespitter propeller, an ion engine, or perhaps a 0.625m jet engine from NecroBones's Modular Rocket Systems mod.

[RainDreamer]

Hmm. Alright, I guess no engine is not possible for any kind of decent distance flight. I know it would not fly very well, but I thought it would allow some sort of a "jump" to travel a bit further than just wheels alone could achieve.

[cantab]

Possible, yes. I did one goofing around. It flew for ages, I think it was half infiniglider though.

Biggest problem is that the wings are going to mess up normal driving. If you lift off at top speed, well you lift off at top speed. At the very least you'll be losing grip.

Visiting Kerbin biomes with a rover will be slow anyway. A plane or a rocket is better. Of course if you just want to drive you can do so.