Giant Rubber-Band Plane

[@TheDodgyEngineer]

You could vary the run times of each rubber band to create a sort of staging for each motor. For example, if the central motors had a duration of a few seconds, they would dump a lot of energy at the start, from which the plane could then coast, running off lower output from the other (longer duration) motors. Kind of like how rollercoasters often add all their energy in one go at the start of the ride! Excellent video as always!

[@stephenhudgins6457]

Love the staging idea! Can't wait to see whether it's incorporated!

[@DiyEcoProjects]

Hi Dodgy Engineer (lol cool name) was thinking something similar. Motors firing off in pairs

[@bsimpson6204]

But he said it didn't have enough power to climb with all engines running (so only just flying really) and props not running are a massive drag and dead weight. Longer rubber motors are the way to get longer flights and maybe over winding...

[@sperzieb00n]

gives me an idea, what if he could vary the stretch lengths with a servo, maybe that could be a simple way to have some control over thrust without too much loss due to friction. or even better, use another elastic band to keep tension on the twisted one while it is unwinding!

[@bobmvideos]

All too heaving and overly complicated. The key is to build it light. Use a longer motors and bigger rubber cross sections does essentially the same thing.

[@richardsweet5068]

As a 77 year old I well remember rubber powered planes, I also remember my dad telling me about lubricating the rubber with BANANA OIL ! yes there is or at least was such a thing. I tried it and it as I remember worked really well. I suppose it lowers the internal friction between the bands.

[@Captain_Yodelstein]

I used baby powder on mine.

[@gryfandjane]

I used to use green dish soap. But I’m sure banana oil smelled better. ;-)

[@BogHopperFPV]

Or silicone

[@kenpickett9317]

Glycerine is best. It reduces the friction between the strands of rubber allowing them to slide over each other. You’ll get more winds on too. Keeping the rubber cool will give better performance also. Leaving it in the sun to get warm reduces its performance.

[@superdupergrover9857]

Just don't use mineral oil or cooking oil of any kind. they will soften and weaken natural rubber. Castor oil is fine, though. It is chemically different than most plant oils.

[@nWestie]

If you really want to get into the weeds of rubber power, have a look at what some of the indoor free-flight people are doing. Not everything they do would carry over, but a couple things from when I built rubber planes in high school: - lubricating your rubber bands somehow is important, find something that doesn't damage the rubber though. It lets you wind it up much more before they start breaking. - pre-stretch your rubber bands: I would always cut them to ~1.5 times the length of the mounting points, and then before I start winding, pull the rubber bands back until they're stretched to ~3x their unstretched length. This lets you get a lot more winds/flight time, at some reduction in instantaneous power. Really excited to see you continue working on this project! best of luck

[@Nerdforge]

Fantastic video 👏

[@Toma-621]

hello other diy youtuber i love watching

[@Project-Air]

Thanks guys!

[@abinayasriabi4821]

@@Project-Air vjr

[@charizardx-i7l]

You are the best ​@@Project-Air

[@georgieyoung-y7u]

​@@Project-Airso what your saying is that all I need to do is say FANTASTIC VIDEO and I,ll get a reply?

[@slartibartfast2649]

It always brightens my day when James uploads.

[@CoOkIEs998]

ikr

[@Project-Air]

☺️☺️

[@sumynona.01]

same

[@redlineracer2752]

Especially after a long day!

[@luscious823]

​@@whitemonk369 he is flying it at a field I'm pretty sure it's not his house

[@patgarner]

Super satisfying, well done! I used to build little rubber band powered planes from kits when I was a kid and this is the best possible evolution of that I could have imagined!

[@Project-Air]

That's cool! Yes same here!

[@cancelledby1998]

@@Project-Air a r s e n a l b I r d

[@annputnam9302]

Good comment ❤🎉🎉😊

[@larrybud]

Somehow I got down the rabbit hole on YT and watching all these model airplane videos. I used to fly 30 years ago, and I noticed that foamboard and hot glue is a very popular manufacturing method. Surprising. Hot glue seems REALLY heavy vs CA glue and foam board is heavier than balsa/tissue.

[@zogworth]

The upside is it's really really fast in comparison.

[@larrybud]

@@zogworth for sure initial build time is quicker, but if you're doing repair after repair, might not be as efficient as it first seems.

[@CNCKitchen]

Awesome work! You really make me want to build one myself and join the challenge.

[@Experimentalhobbyist]

Do it! Try doing a 3D printed rubber powered airplane.

[@DogeMultiverse]

Wow cnc kitchen! Let's gooo

[@Project-Air]

That would be great to see Stefan! I think you should!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Very cool! I'd forgotten playing with rubber band plane kits when I was a kid.

[@bry29bry]

Minimize friction! Add bearings or save weight with bushings and graphite lubricant. Love this project! Great video as always!

[@JoelCreates]

Rubber band airplanes were a childhood favorite, I liked the prop release system

[@Project-Air]

Thanks Joel

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@Project-Air Have you thought of part two with a catapult launch? Use surgical tubing.

[@RazShifrin]

Brilliant!!! Come on guys let's smash that like button and comment on this video, if we support this brilliant creator, he will have the financials and freedom to create more epic content for us..win win:)

[@braedenfischer6018]

as an engineering student thankyou for the website! always need more CAD files and interesting designs!

[@twist6124]

Have you thought about stretching the bands, rather than twisting them? You could connect it up to a 3D printed gearbox, getting more power and runtime with only a single prop. You might be able to use much stronger bands, and also have a faster reset time between flights.

[@dbdbgriggs]

I’m a rubber powered freeflight guy, and this is pretty interesting. First though, you’re leaving tons of rubber performance on the table. It appears you are using 1/4” tanII super sport (the good stuff), so from the turns per inch of loop table we get 69, and assuming your loop length is 18” that’s a maximum of over 1200 turns per motor. The torque skyrockets as you near max turns but even winding to 80% you should be safe at around 1000 turns per motor, more than 3x what you said you were using. You might consider fewer motors and bigger props, but the winder you are using won’t handle a cross section much more than you have.

[@MangeSoderling]

He does not seem to have any lubricant either

[@sufysprojects2689]

Cool video! A couple of thoughts : -Depron is waterproof, you may consider using it in the future (but it's expensive -using thinner foamay lead to a lower all up weight and therefore more performance, at the department store I've found a very thin type of foam that it very brittle used to insulate floors, but laminating it with some packing tape solves it.

[@DIGITALRC]

Insane build 😎👌🔥

[@diavol2432ru]

Verified comment

[@bknesheim]

A standard trick to increase the runtime taken from rubber driven boats is to make one of the connection point flex so that the tension in the rubber band stay more constant.

[@spencerbrady2425]

That’s genius

[@whoever6458]

Always remember that any landing you can walk away from is a good landing, therefore all unmanned aircraft landings are good landings. I think this project is awesome!

[@markusmacdonald5647]

Rather than twisting the elastic bands around, it may be more effecient for the elastics to pull and use linkages to get the pull to a rotational motion. However, I dont know how the extra weight would affect its flight time. Nonetheless, cool project-keep the work up!

[@server642]

The elastics could be wrapped around a small drum on, or via a simple gear reduction to, the prop shafts and anchored to a point somewhere beside the drum. Fairly lightweight and directly translates the linear stretch into rotational motion. I think this would be neat because a person can vary the tension that gets wound onto the drum with each turn, too!

[@cayenne7792]

every conceivable design has been tried and tested over and over nothing is more effective and efficient than this design

[@viasevenvai]

the twisting is pulling it.

[@MangeSoderling]

@@cayenne7792 true but my 600mm single F1B prop would destroy those puny little things

[@tubois2025]

This is the best time to log on ! James upload!!!

[@plaetzchen86]

Could you do a staged approach? So like 4 engines start immediately and 4 to increase endurance?

[@kristophersmith4525]

What’s the stipulation on the height it can be thrown at. Is it ground height? Or can I just make a glider and put on small rubber bad and prop on it and send it from the top of a tower?

[@wideyxyz2271]

Brilliant. Great work. I love to see how you work through problems. Great British engineering is alive and well. I also love that Tom Stanton is one of your supporters. Keep it going and smash that record! Maybe if your viewers have some similar projects you could have a "Fly off " day and smash some records between you ? The Great British Rubber Band Fly-Athon! TGBRBFAT.....

[@Idk_________]

Finally another airplane video, ngl it's pretty good 👏👏

[@JohnTelford1]

This reminded me of The Great Egg Race (BBC Two TV show in the 1980s). The original challenge was to make a wheeled contraption powered by a standard rubber band to transport a hens egg as far as possible. From memory, the key to great distances was using a fusee to even-out the release of energy from the rubber band.

[@littlehills739]

fusee to even-out the release of energy from the rubber band more info if you could please :)

[@JohnTelford1]

@@littlehills739 When a watch spring is tightly wound, or a rubber band is tightly stretched (or twisted), they want to release a lot of energy in a short time at the start. Mechanically, this is because the exert a bigger force when tightly wound, compared to later when they are partly unwound. The fusee is like a kind of continuously variable gearing that slows down the release of energy at the start, and then make the release of energy easier (through mechanical advantage) later on.

[@littlehills739]

@@JohnTelford1 fusee in clock making nice thank you for helping

[@gokhaleprakash7537]

I am 79. We used to lubricate the rubber - Pirelli - by soap water. 1962! Ancient?

[@BritishBeeMan]

Would 4 much larger slower turning and thus longer running proper be a better option?

[@MangeSoderling]

Yes

[@timtaylor1365]

The key is the rubber band tension... you're on to something with making your own but can you make them stronger? Congratulations on your great achievements.

[@bobdobalina5552]

7:05 ProjectAir: we didn't have a helper on this day for the wooden chucks Cameraman: Ummm, maybe I can help Camera tripod: Sorry, this is my day off. I'm not holding the camera for you 😂

[@mrsmith4662]

Great project. I can't believe the record is only about 30 seconds. A bit of inovation and I'm sure that Project Air can win it.

[@gryfandjane]

Fascinating stuff, James! As a flight-mad kid in the 1960s, I went through a pretty fair batch of rubber-powered balsa aircraft, which no doubt planted the seed for my later RC activities. There’s a lot of enjoyment in extracting maximum performance from minimal equipment. And yeah, when I saw the thumbnail for this vid, my first question was, “How is he going to release all those motors at once?” Nice solution! Now you can attack the issue shared with EVs… maximum range with minimum charge time. ;-) Cheers as always from Missouri, USA.

[@nithikasandinu9034]

long awaited video🙂

[@properprinting]

This was a pleasure to watch. Also, nice work on the kits, they look very thought out and professional!

[@Emreu07]

Was in 1996 my father bought to me like this plane toy when he back from united states when i was 5 years old i am crazy on it i turning turning lastic bands then throw it its fly like a real plane i was so amazed Rip Dad 🌹

[@MikeStallone]

Had to watch this again man. Your storytelling is really impressive and keeps me engaged throughout the whole video

[@Roadrunner_official]

I guess you could say it wasn't *plane!*

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

this is definitely not the largest plane because in our aircraft modelling club back in 90's we had standard schematics for rubberband planes of approximately that size. the trick to storing more energy is definitely not using more rubberband engines, it's using much longer and much thicker rubberband threads. we used to have a glass fiber pole as a frame with length of about 2m and about 0.5cm^2 rubberband. another important thing is to make the prop foldable (backwards) so that once the plane reaches its height it folds and does not produce extra resistance. the engine works for about half a minute and its glide time depends on your skill and where you launch it, but it's on the magnitude of minutes.

[@bayernbahn1549]

Great project! Great how it flies! Because of the world record, my idea would be that you take the double number of propells with engines, but when starting only half activated and the other half only when the other engines are empty.

[@doverivermedia3937]

Your vids always put a big grin on my face. Love em. Reminds me of Sunday morning meet ups on the weaver Hills where we used to slope soar our sljngsby capstans. Happy days ... 🇬🇧

[@thomaslincoln401]

It shouldn't be too hard to add pushher motors to the nacelles too. Also maybe consider thrust lines and a staged motor release. (Could have initial motors set for climb, and others for sustainment.)

[@Mike-oz4cv]

Staged motors would only help if he has excess thrust/power.

[@Hondanissanman]

An absolutely brilliant experiment with rubber power NICE 1👌.

[@julianlauterfeld6273]

Thank you for making the Website with the plans 😊 now I have a good project to build with my little brothers 😁

[@Project-Air]

That’s awesome to hear! I hope you have fun with it!

[@CapTheNPC2]

8:48 That flight was absolutely BEAUTIFUL

[@runforitman]

those virtual kits look really cool definitely gonna see what you have

[@DavidMacVeigh-yv5ef]

Check with Experimental Aircraft Association. In the 1980s at Oshkosh I saw an ultralight airplane, (Lazair) converted to rubber power (engines removed). Large propeller with bungee cord stretched through the tail boom and wound tight with a drill. Carried a human!

[@Project-Air]

Check out my new Project Air kits here! store.projectair.co.uk

[@thereoc]

Oh hell yeah i’ve been waiting for this

[@veyrenwolf6530]

hell yeah! this sounds really cool (also maybe pin the comment? :) )

[@niclash]

GutFeeling(tm) says that pulling (rather than rotational) tension is more energy efficient, and can easy add more stored energy into the system.

[@corbinschuster2664]

Awesome video, well done!

[@Alan_Hans__]

Link returns to this video :(

[@abcdefgh6121]

Can you please tell how you build the engine? If the rubber is strecthed, it will pull the propeller very strongly inwards which will increase the friction. How did you overcome that?

[@drsinfre6028]

Awesome dude!! Im thinking about increase the flying time, so, could that plane flight with only 4 propellers? cause alternating the propeller block when the first 4 run out of energy, release the other 4... Could work? Hugs from Canary Islands!

[@benjaminmiller3620]

Drag from the stationary props could become a problem don't you think? Longer elastics would help, but the ways he runs them currently, he would have to add longer spars, which adds more weight. I wonder how much a tiny 90° bevel gear at each prop would weigh? It would let him run a much longer elastic under the wing, and if it's a torque reduction, he could beef them up as well, and get longer runtime that way too.

[@hobbespremium8762]

This KZbin channel is the embodiment of because I can

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, James!!! 😃 Looking forward to see what you do next! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@tealruby1]

Met you in SF at a hostel 6 or so months back, and now you're in my recommended feed! Congrats on the huge success of this video.

[@peterjarnes25]

You get 10000 thumbs up on this one buddy! Terrific engineering!

[@Rfernandes.]

Something I've noticed is that, bigger props with lower rpms are usually more efficient... instead of moving a bit of ar at a high speed, moving a bigger mass at lower speed should increase the runtime...

[@-mystic-93]

Yes, you have to balance it with the kind of rubber you have, though. Thickness/linear density, length, and quality all play a big roll. The condition's this rubber were being subjected to were not the best, no o-ring, no lubrication, and poor weather. What you are describing if perfect for F1D where it can take thousands of winds, but those planes are build for only the most controlled environments.

[@madeintexas3d442]

You should try counter rotating props for each side. That seems to be a simple mod that might improve stability.

[@fingergunpewpew760]

this is literally a rubber band powered arsenal bird, awesome!

[@RpattoYT]

Had a random thought about rubber band planes. Could you try attaching a band to an adjustable rail or screw shaft, geared up to the rotation of the prop and use the rotation to stretch the band as it unwinds? The purpose of this would be to increase the efficiently at which the planes uses the stored energy, perhaps extracting a little more than it otherwise would and maybe increasing the time a loft.

[@sperzieb00n]

a much lighter way to do that would be to use a second elastic band set up to just provide linear tension, or even an alternative setup of the rubber band, where the loop forms a triangle with one point on the prop and 2 on the body, so winding also makes use of linear tension.

[@MangeSoderling]

@@sperzieb00n or have a longer single band it is more efficient

[@craigedwards7343]

Make the rubber bands twice as long, or thicker. Could four propellers keep it airborne? If so you could stagger the motors start times.

[@volofly2011]

Nicely done! Love your persistence and adaptability. Try, determine result, adjust, try again until you succeed. That's how the Brothers did it. Many of us have continued this engineering method and you are doing well too. Keep up the good work and inspiring others.

[@bob2859]

Can't wait to see V2! Hoping to see a fusee or some other clever solution.

[@BAPY90925]

Who here plays plane crazy

[@Npccanedit]

Me

[@thetrainloverdk]

Me

[@bacon2172]

me

[@Jensen-the-editer]

Me

[@HorSethyreachboy]

me

[@joshyeliezondo3299]

THIS PROJECT IS SOOOO COOOL!!!!!!!

[@Solve_sphere_technologies]

I love rubber band plans, but could you make a plane that is powered with cpu fans plzzz

[@alwayscensored6871]

Peter Shirol? Has made one. Made man carrying EV plane too.

[@Solve_sphere_technologies]

@@alwayscensored6871 Project air could make better version of it

[@engineeredlifeform]

Brings back memories of making Keil Craft rubber powered model aircraft with my dad, we made a Piper Comanche, a Piper Grasshopper, and of course, a Spitfire.

[@tonywright8294]

Never heard of Keil craft . It’s Keil Kraft.

[@mjproebstle]

top plane design and flight! propellors that fold back would reduce drag at the end of the flight, and might lead to a more smooth landing. cheers!

[@RCPlanesAndTravels]

This system with 4 servos is great idea!!!

[@brianlhughes]

would small load bearings between the prop and the block help with efficiency?

[@Hobz79]

yeah, I wonder how much power is lost at the propeller bushing. It wobbles a ton during spinning.

[@brianlhughes]

@@Hobz79 I was thinking about that loss, if all it is doing is keeping the rubber band from unwinding all at once you could use it to govern it, make it take longer to unwind.

[@portlyoldman]

Hurrah. James again 😁😁

[@afwalker1921]

There is a fine line between genius and madness... then again, some things are just crazy!

[@benamadmi1459]

Perfect example of never ever giveup🎉👏👏

[@willparry]

Have you thought of using those big bands you get on slingshots? You can store a lot of energy in those things.

[@ConsPopov]

Tom Scott sent us here! Nice one!

[@piconano]

Have you tried lubricating the rubber bands before hand?

[@KZgun4hire]

Remember you are trying to make the plane fly longer. Not further or faster. So exhausting all engines at once is counter productive. How long could you get it fly if four engines were on and then another four when the first four ran out of power.

[@moondieng9572]

so cool!

[@KlingbergWingMkII]

Two words - Rubber Lube - all rubber powered flyers use it for their models

[@peterwatkinson4656]

Brilliant, it reminds me of Howard Hughes' 'Spruce Goose' !

[@segue2ant395]

Wahey! One of the first things I ever built from a kit as a wee chap was a rubber-band plane.

[@Juderocks0]

Mark my words, this video will get 10 mil views.

[@HobiCerdas]

very good, the flight is also stable. Unfortunately, the flight duration is very short, much like a glider model airplane. maybe it can be calculated again the strength of the stick motor against the pull of the rubber and the number of rounds of rubber needed for maximum flight. great job

[@b9y]

It actually sound like an old prop plane because of the rubber hitting the struts. Amazing!

[@gquarkie1073]

Finally, the legend uploaded again?

[@theballoondr]

Really great job done dude !!!😎

[@klassisch3039]

This dude needs more subs!! Love your videos!

[@codenerd7823]

Bring back the old memories

[@henrywood5462]

YES!!!!! We need to build a rubber band powered boat in class so I’m just gonna take that rubber band power system

[@Makn121]

DIY is my favorite form of art. That's why I love these your excellent videos. Keep up the good work James👍

[@walk4718]

Love your amazing and very amusing content. Time for more of the Stripol collaboration 👍👍😂

[@robotechzone]

love from India ❤❤❤🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@AdamAllport]

Where do you get your foam from? I've been trying to build something out of 5mm foamboard from Hobbycraft and bending the foil seems near impossible (or at least, very... lumpy (os opposed to a clean curve) I notice in the prototype, the wing is just the top part of the foil, as opposed to a flat bottomed wing, does this impact efficiency much?

[@brianargo4595]

If you're not doing so already, removing the backing paper from the inside of your curve and slowly bending with a support board is usually the trick, and of course relief cuts into the foam for particularly tight bends.

[@aidanwelly]

Sangat menginspirasi. Terima Kasih telah berbagi 🙏🙏🥰🥰

[@DonkeyBomB666]

The prize is the Guinness World record! Awesome video

[@robertkbrooks951]

Great Job Young Man. Thumbs Up to You.

[@GlobalExpertLens]

Amazing design. Thank you

[@kumarawadhesh7146]

Excellent job 👌👌👌👌🌷🙏

[@MasboyRC]

Awesome project, really nice 👍

[@BlaqHawk24]

"prevaricating" new word of the day!

[@smaggies]

Outstanding :) I thank you for the Entertainment and the wishes to assist others such great work. I know plenty of other comments, so I thought, the Propellers on one side rotate Counter Clockwise with other side Clockwise. Thanks :)

[@scott_forgot9875]

I love the way it sounds.

[@Rover417]

Amazing job it looks like the Wright Brothers aeroplane

[@JulianMakes]

Oooh a challenge! Love it. Great video!