How to Build a Rubber Band-Propelled Plane
- 1). Place one end of the 12-inch strip of wood into the propeller's sheath. The wood might not quite fit into the sheath, so you can taper the wood, trimming it slightly with scissors until it does slide firmly into the sheath.
- 2). Cut a rubber band so that, when slack, it is a strip measuring 12 inches. Fold the rubber band in half and pinch the two loose end together. Loop the folded rubber band around your finger and then run the rubber band through its own loop; pull it tight and you've tied an overhand knot into the rubber band.
- 3). Move the overhand knot, pulling the loose ends through the knot until the knot is to the tip of those loose ends. Your rubber band should now look like a hoop with a knot in it.
- 4). Loop the rubber band around the screw eye, which is a small hook, on the back of the propeller. Pull the rubber band along the strip of wood until it stretched just enough that the slack is removed. Make a mark on the wood strip where the rubber band reaches, which should be about 6 inches from the propeller hook.
- 5). Push a staple by hand over the rubber band into the wood strip so that it holds the rubber band in the wood strip at the mark. Staple the knotted end here, while the regular loop-end should be around the propeller hook.
- 6). Cut out one square of tissue paper that measures 4 inches by 15 inches. Cut one small strip of wood so that it measures 3.5 inches. Apply glue to one side completely and stick it to the tissue paper, running parallel to the 4 inch edge, 1/2 of an inch away from that edge and centered on the tissue.
- 7). Cut one of the smaller strips of wood so that it measures 14 inches. Glue one side completely and stick it to the tissue paper so that it is touching the end of the 3.5-inch strip. The two strips of wood should form a right angle. Cut another 14-inch piece of wood and glue it similarly on the other side of the 3.5-inch strip. You should have a three-sided rectangle with extra tissue paper hanging over the sides.
- 8). Cut a 3.5-inch strip of wood from one of the smaller strips of wood. Glue one side completely and set that side on the tissue paper so the open side of the rectangle is closed off. You should have a perfect 3.5-inch by 14-inch rectangle with a a bit of excess tissue paper outside of the rectangle.
- 9). Put a dab of hot glue in each corner of the rectangle. Once it dries, cut off any excess tissue paper around the frame. If there is any miniscule amount of paper left outside of the frame, glue it to the side of the strip.
- 10
Make a mark at the midpoint of the long sides of the rectangle. This should be at 7 inches. - 11
Glue two 3.5-inch strips of wood to the marks with hot glue. These two pieces should stick up vertically from the frame. Once these glue has dried, glue these two vertical sticks to the top of the 12-inch piece of wood that has the propeller on it. You should glue the first of these verticals sticks about 2 inches behind the propeller, and since the next vertical stick is 3.5 inches from the first, it will be glued about 5.5 inches behind the propeller. To add strength to these connections, glue a few toothpicks to both the vertical stick and and 12-inch piece of wood. - 12
Make another tissue-covered, rectangular frame, except make its measurements 3.5 inches by 7 inches. Make a mark at the midpoints of the 7-inch sides and, with hot glue, glue these marks to the end of the 12-inch strip -- the end opposite the propeller. The back end of this frame should exactly align with the end of the 12-inch strip and the front end of the frame should be hot glued onto the 12-inch strip where it falls, 3.5 inches from the back. - 13
Make one final frame, 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches, but leave this frame three-sided. With hot glue, attach this open side to the 3.5-inch-by-7-inch rectangle you previously glued onto the 12-inch strip. You no have an airplane with a propeller, a body, wings suspended above the body, and a rudder and stabilizer attached to the body.
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