Rubberband Balsa Wood Helicopter

This project is a rubberband balsa wood helicopter, designed and built by me, Eric, a highschool student.

The goal of this project is to successfully build a device that flies in a helicopter fashion.

Researched information for this project was found on Youtube (PeterSripol), as well as other websites and videos that demonstrated building a rubberband helicopter.

Supplies

Balsa wood- Thicker Long piece (12inx3/8in) and small pieces (1/4inx1/4in)

4 Rubberbands

Hot glue

Exacto Knife

Plastic Propellor

Thin Cardboard

Masking Tape

Step 1: Adding the Rubberband Hook

• Cut a small piece of balsa wood at an angle so that the point can face out from the shaft.
• Then, use hotglue to glue it to the shaft, about 6.5in down from the top. This will act as the anchor for your rubberbands.

Step 2: Attaching the Cardboard Stabilizer

This thin piece of cardboard acts as the stabilizer for the helicopter, so as to make sure the propellor generates lift without the shaft spinning.

• Using an exacto knife, draw and cut out a piece similar to the shape shown. Note: This stabilizer should be roughly 12.5in long and 2 inches wide, with larger areas at the ends of the piece.
• Now, find the middle of this piece, and tape it 3 inches below the top of the shaft, on the same side that you glued the hook onto.

Step 3: Cutting and Placing the Propellor Onto the Shaft

• Using an exacto knife, cut out a piece of the plastic adapter that is attached to your propellor. NOTE: This cut should be the width of the balsa wood that is used for the shaft, allowing the shaft to slide into the adapter at a 90 degree angle. The cuts should match on each side.
• After that, use the small balsa wood listed in the materials list, and slide 2 pieces about 1.5 inches long into the gaps created in the adapter following the last step.
• The goal is to get this propellor as straight as possible, so if needed, slide another peice of balsa in between the small balsa and shaft, on the side that is being pulled by the rubberbands. I reccomend putting a small amount of hot glue on everything to secure it before you test.
• This is a good time to grab your 5 rubberbands, and put them on the propellor hook and balsa hook to test that the tension is correct.

Step 4: TESTING

• To make your new rubberband balsa wood helicopter fly, wind the propellor clockwise until the rubberband twists back on itself, along the entire length of the rubberband.
• When releasing, make sure to be in an open area and hold it upright completely
• Now, watch your helicopter go!!