Easy Diy Model Airplane That Flies!

I have always liked planes, and they have always been my obsession. One of my other obsessions is building and creating things from what I find, so I thought that bringing these two together would be fun, and yep, I was right. Then it struck me that crafting planes would not only be great for me but also for other people if I shared it. So, here I am, writing these words so I can share my findings and experience with you, so if you ever want to build a model plane that doesn’t only look extraordinary (being made from what you found at home), but also flies amazing, here is your solution. Well, let’s get to it.

1. Paper
2. Cardboard
3. Liquid glue
4. Superglue
5. Sharp utility or art knife
6. Scissors
7. Beeswax
8. Straws
9. Styrofoam cups and plates (never use superglue to glue them, they will disintegrate)
10. Ruler
11. Pen

I understand that not everyone likes science, but if you want to make a thing that flies, you first have to know how it flies. Don’t worry, there are only four things that make a plane fly, so Science Class won’t be too long. Well, here are they:

1. Lift: To produce lift, air pressure must be higher under the wings than over the wings. This is achieved by the shape of them. Lift pushes the aircraft up.

1. Thrust: Thrust is what pushes the plane forward, so lift is produced. In model aircraft, thrust is given to them when you throw or shoot them out. The greater the thrust, the greater the pressure differences between the upper and lower wing, and therefore, the greater the lift as well.

1. Drag: Have you ever wondered why airplanes are slim, long, and smooth? To prevent drag. Drag is the air going around the airplane that gets stuck as it passes by and slows the aircraft down.

1. Gravity: Gravity is what pulls aircraft down. You can’t modify it, but it is still important for a plane to fly.

What you should try to do when building a model plane is reduce drag and maximize lift and thrust.

Well, and that’s it, Science class is done. Tell me, was it so horrible?

The next thing to ask yourself after having read Science Class is the following: What do I want from my plane? And later: How will it look like?

I have made a chart to fill in, so you have it easier to design your aircraft. Just so you don’t go crazy while filling it, I'm going to give you some tips. First of all, remember that the greater the sweep of the wings, the faster the aircraft will get, but it will also produce less lift. Remember to keep it light when choosing your materials, and last of all, decorate the aircraft you have made using only a pen or a pencil, never use paint, or it will get too heavy. Here is the chart:

Note: Bigger planes have a greater chance to fly.

Once you are done with your designing and theoretical part of the work, gather everything you need, and move onto the next phase of your project.

After all the planning and searching for materials, your reward finally comes. In this phase of the project, I will guide you through the steps and tips to do the real (and fun) part of our model plane. Before we begin, make sure you got your planning written down and accessible, a good working place, the materials you will need, tools, glue, and plenty of excitement to help you go through the whole process of building more smoothly. It is normal that you will encounter problems and flaws in your design as your plane starts to take material form, so don’t get sad if you encounter one and try to repair it as best as you can. Some people prefer to build things on their own, you can do that, but for people who like to do things safely with instructions, I have written a step-by-step guide of how you should proceed to get the best results.

1. Gather all of your materials on a good working place, and study and adjust your planed aircraft. Know your materials so you can easily determine which material is the best for each part you will do.

2. Using a ruler and a pencil or pen, draw the outlines of your wings. Don’t get too complicated, any piece of cardboard or construction paper makes a good wing if the shape is right and symmetric. If you can, make your wings from a single piece, because if you do two individual wings, gluing them later will get challenging.

3. Once you have your desired wing template drawn on the material you have chosen to do the aircraft’s wings, cut it out with a cutter or a pair of scissors, and set it aside so you can use it later. Note the importance of the wings being symmetrical, and if they are not, do the whole wing-making process again.

4. Find the material you are going to use for the body of the aircraft and cut out a fuselage as long as your wings similar to the following shape or invent your own!

5. Set your fuselage aside, it is time to create your tailplane. Use the rest of the material you used to make your wings and create them again, but this time just one-third as big as the original. You can make it of a different shape than your wings, but there are two rules that are not meant to be broken. Rule number 1, one-third the size of the wings, and rule number two, make it symmetric.

6. Gather all of the parts you’ve made; glue time is here! First of all, glue the tailplane to the back of your fuselage so it is symmetric on both sides. Second, glue the wings about one third from the nose. With that, the build is complete.

You are done! The only thing left to do is to add a piece of beeswax to the aircraft’s nose and check out how it flies! If it falls heavily to the ground, remove some beeswax, and if it doesn’t fly straight, but curves up, add some of it.

Happy flying! 😊