Do It Yourself Glider Planes

Experts say that creativity begins at a very early stage. And the best way to encourage development is to help engage kids in activities that promote learning and imagination. One effective way to do this is by building their own toys instead of the usual plastic items and expensive gaming consoles.

A really good project that you and your kid could do with ordinary items you have at home is building your own glider plane. Different from RC model planes, glider planes don’t have a motor and they only require a simple design to build one. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1 – First gather your materials. You’ll need a piece of cardboard, cutter or scissors, glue, tape, a pencil and a ruler or measuring tape.

Step 2 – Draw your design. A glider plane has 3 essential parts – the main fuselage or body of the plane, the main wings and the rear wings. First thing you need to do is draw your design on the card board. Take note of measurements and how large each part would be. Remember that both the main and rear wings should be long enough to support the main body and the entire glider’s weight to keep it in the air.

Step 3 – Next step is to cut out the parts. But before using anything sharp, make sure to have an adult to assist you or wear protective gloves. Cut out the parts that you’ve drawn and make sure to put two rectangular holes in the body where you’d insert the two wings. Make sure that they would fit snuggly and the distance between the main and rear wings are not too far and not too close.

Step 4 – Once you’ve cut out the parts, it’s time to put them together. Make sure the wings are connected properly and that they fit exactly in equal measurements. Symmetry is important to ensure that your plane is air-worthy. Once everything fits perfectly, you may tape or glue each part in place.

Step 5 – After leaving it out for the glue to dry, it’s now time to test the plane. In an elevated platform, try throwing the plane strong enough to get it in the air. If it doesn’t fly too high, then you should make adjustments to the length of wings or the thickness and height of the body. After replacing the necessary parts and testing it, watch out for fluttering. If it does fly but wiggles in the air, you will have to put a ballast or weight on the tip of the plane. You may use play dough or tape a few coins to give it balance. Once it’s air-worthy, you may now go to design.

Step 6 – You may use acrylic or water-based paint and draw any design that you want. Once that’s done, just leave out for a few hours for the paint to dry.

Step 7 – Now it’s time to have fun!

Making your own toys like a glider plane helps your kids bring out all that creativity and imagination while having fun and bonding with you. Just make sure that you guide them all throughout the steps and ensure safety.

Building your own model plane is a really great hobby, you may visit http://rcmodelaircraft.com.au if you plan to go to the next level and fly an RC model glider.