The Pocket Popsicle Flyer ....PPF

Hey there!

This is a really easy toy to make for children. I thought of it while admiring the nice shape they give popsicle sticks these days and wondering what could I make with them. There are just three easy steps so give it a go. If you have a drill at the ready you'll "fly" through this project. It might even take you longer to read the Instructable!!!

We made this video on our balcony. I was pointing the PPF towards the wall so it would not fall on the street.

Important: Enjoy the popsicle before enjoying the build

Materials:

"Figure-of-eight" popsicle sticks, not the straight edged kind

Bamboo kebab skewers. I chose the bamboo skewer because they are the lightest kind I had available to me. A better quality wooden skewer had a larger diameter and was heavier

Tools:

Drill and appropriate size drill bit, in my case 3mm

Measuring tape

Pen or pencil

Sandpaper

Wire snippers or scissors (not in the photo)

Wood glue (optional) (also not in the photo)

Twist

Give the popsicle stick a twist between your two hands. Needless to say if you go too far the wood could break. You can always give it more twist later but I'm thinking its no harm to do this before you drill the hole because the wood might be that bit weaker at the center once drilled.

Drill

To drill the popsicle stick just make sure the drill bit is the right size for the diameter of the skewer. Carefully mark the center of the popsicle stick. If you are off center your PPF may not fly too well.

Sand

Sand the leading edge of the propeller on both sides to help with the lift of the PPF.

With bamboo skewers you can get alot of bumps and angles so you'll want to cut them off and also cut off the sharp point. In the photos you can see the length of skewer is around 4"(10cms) but after more trials I believe its better that it be twice that length. Before I was fearful that a longer stick might be too heavy but on the contrary, a short stick shakes all over the place when it begins to descend. A longer stick keeps the weight under the propeller and keeps the flight steady. I'll upload a different photo later

Now go ahead and stick that baby together and give it a twirl!!!