Encounters with Science (Part 2: Middle)

After that, I returned home with only the rubber catapult in my hand.
The sun was already setting, orange light was streaming in through the window, and the room was sinking into a deep navy blue.

I sat at my desk and opened the "White Wings" booklet.
Most of the pages were about how to assemble and adjust the models, which was interesting enough on its own.

But as I traced the illustration of the white aircraft I had lost with my finger, I whispered to myself, "Next time, I'll fly it at a wider riverbed. I'll make an even stronger catapult. Maybe it'll fly incredibly far?"

At the end of the booklet, there was a page filled with small text and mathematical formulas.
It was titled "Wing Design and Balance," and it contained several equations that even I, a middle school student, could somehow manage to calculate. There were also diagrams showing how to determine lift and the center of gravity.

I turned on my desk lamp and opened my notebook.
I read the formulas, checked the calculations over and over, and sketched the shapes of the wings and tail.
Before I knew it, it was pitch black outside the window, and I was startled by my mother's voice calling, "Dinner's ready!"

When I looked at the clock, I realized I had been absorbed in it for two hours.

As I headed to the living room, I thought, "This... could I build an airplane from scratch myself?"
A smile naturally spread across my face at the thought.
When I sat down at the dining table, I was in such a good mood that my younger brother asked, "What are you smiling about?"

To be continued in the final part.