RECYCLED BOTTLE WHIRLIGIG SPACE SHUTTLE-COPTER

 See drawing for list of materials. Smooth wall plastic water bottles  have a wall thin enough to cut with a sharp blade or Xacto [R] blade. Wood hub can be any scrap lumber about 1x1x1 size..Cup hook eyelets are used here .5/8 size is easy to use for mounting and insertion into the hub.Predrilling of a hole will aid screw in assembly.
     Crimps can be found in small packages in any Art and Craft store.
     Wood screws shown are available from any dollar store or your junk pile.
     String- fish cord of 10 lb. strength is very thin and strong. Otherwise use plastic or stretch-Polymer cord of 1 millimeter size found in Craft stores everywhere. Packing string can be used but you will not get the long term use from it.

 Selection and assembly- 
      Any plastic bottle can be used. For the copter blades  use 2 smaller bottles and their plastic caps.
Draw a cut-out for the first bottle as shown. Cut only half the side.Remove this plastic  and use it as a template for the second bottle. Permanent felt tip pens work fine to draw the outline  on plastic.
      Wood hub can be saw cut from a 1 x 1 scrap pine lumber.Hard Polyurethane 1 in. thick can be used also.It should be covered with a layer of paint or glue .
     Caps-
      Use a .093 in. drill bit and drill a top and bottom hole for the hook screws of 5/8 size.
     Use a ..093 drill bit to drill a left and right hole for mounting the two caps. Drill a center hole in the caps for the wood screws to fit through easily.This bit can be .125 to .140 diameter size or approximately to fit the screw through easily. 
       Mount the caps at each side  with the wood screws loosely.Tighten later when the two bottles are inserted into the caps to be opposite from each other.
       Cut the large bottle into two pieces. The top nose of the shuttle will be a cap which has a hole in the top center  to have a string inserted into. The bottom piece is inverted so that the bottom looks like  a rocket motor. Cut out small   one-inch squares all around the bottom and fold outwardly  .Same for the top.These flare-outs are used to catch the wind and rotate independenlty.
Feed a nylon string through the upper cap and use a crimp inside and outside of the cap.Extend the string about 6 in. to tie to the hook screw on the hub. Leave about 20 in. above the cap to mount outside on a tree limb. Finally mount the rocket motor  to the bottom  hub screw.Use crimps if you cant tie a knot here.
         Use  any paint and reflective items like mirrors, etc on the sides to reflect light  in the evening.
This completes the assembly.
      The fun part- when the wind blows the rotator will gently rotate  and the top and bottom  shuttle parts will also rotate independently in the breeze.The illusion is that the prop is lifting the shuttle.
Some experimenting  is needed on cutting out the vanes for the rocket  so they will be wind catchers. Refer to the first photo.

  This completes another  Instructable, folks.Dont be bashful. Publish  your whirligigs !
  The imagination can run wild with this type craft using  bottles as propellers. See our earlier  whirligigs using motors and LEDs with a bottle wind generator. Also using centrifugal switches  LEDs can be lit when the assembly  rotates.  Remember , horizontally mounted bottles as shown here  will spin  in any wind direction. No tail-piece is needed. If mounted vertically then one needs to have a tail to rotate the prop facing the wind.We are preparing a report  for just this type whirligig.
See pictures of 4 blade version and also one mounted as a 4 blade  vertical prop unit.
You could contact us on our web site--www.misticmodels81.com for advise and idea swaps.