-----Original Message-----
From: Rotary motors in aircraft [mailto:flyrotary@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Mark R Steitle
Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2006 4:55 PM
To: Rotary motors in aircraft
Subject: [FlyRotary] Build your own airplane (too wierd not to share)

 

Ran across this on Strangecosmos.com and couldn’t resist “sharing” it. 

 

Oh Yeah!  I built several fly powered airplanes in the early seventies from plans in a

model magazine.  Single fly power and a real, but tiny airfoil and tail feathers.

The wing spar and fuselage were made from thin strips of balsa, much smaller

and more delicate than the illustration in the link.   The airfoil was shaped

from the tissue like material used for model planes.  IIRC the tissue was

sprayed with a white glue mixture thinned with lots of water.  This was to

stiffen the material.  The tail feathers where also paper.  Airmail paper I

believe.  (You young guys won’t know what that is).

 

The big end of summer flys were caught in a mason jar baited with food

and a funnel taped to the mouth.  The flys became sluggish when placed

in the fridge and could then be glued too the nose of the plane.  The flys

could drag the plane into the air but they soon tired.  The smart ones learned

that, for the first time in their short life, that they could actually glide.  Mom

wasn’t happy.  Imagine what PITA woulda thunk.  Great fun! 

--Michael