Massive 16 Foot Rubber Band Powered Airplane

[TomStantonEngineering]

That plane looks so awesome! It's so satisfying when hard work and engineering pays off with such a lightweight slow flying aircraft!

[IAmWillIAmWill]

As the observer, you took me back to those days of my youth dreaming of flight. Especially when your plane was airborne. I was running under it with you like a little kid! Thank you. Cheers.

[Nighthawkinlight]

It's really impressive what you did here with basically an identical drive design to a toy rubber band plane. If you want to take this further I think you could get way more power out of less rubber with different coiling methods. The reason the drive is so weak is because the coiled rubber band has a small cross section and therefore lacks leverage to push rotationally. Just adding a tube that the band wraps around like a barber pole to increase that diameter would greatly increase the power of the drive with fewer twists. Basically it just comes down to moving the rubber strands further apart from one another as they coil, so another simple option would be threading one or more strands through a pool noodle so the foam keeps them apart.

[louis]

I love it you looked like a little kid chasing your first rubber band plane. Great video your enthusiasm is contagious.

[EUC-lid]

You know you're on to something important when a stranger in a field immediately recognizes your intent and lends a hand. Big cheers to Noel. What a bro.

[Cres]

Man, I wish I could take this video and show myself back as a kid in the mid 70s. It's so great to see fun ideas we all share taken seriously and put to the real test like this. What a love letter to the toys we all loved so much. Just perfect.

[Project-Air]

Excellent build, excellent video! Loved seeing what you came up with, and mine really does look a lot like a brick in comparison to this work of carbon art! I know the struggles of finding a suitable day for flying/filming, and it's great you managed a 12-second flight. Game on for upping it now!

[RJH]

I’ve been having a bad time recently but seeing this fly made me smile, then the final comment about the encouragement from your parents near brought me to tears because I’ve only ever felt my parents spend more time discouraging me than supporting me. Thank you.

[freepilot]

As a pilot that adores aeronautics and the fact of flight, this was awesome. Really brought me back to my childhood plane that started my passion.

[outputcoupler]

There's a weird quirk with rubber you might not know. It actually stores some of the energy in the form of heat when you stretch it. This means that if the band cools off after you stretch it, you will get less energy back out when you release it. So the longer it takes to wind up the band, and the longer you wait to release it, the less power it will provide.

The reverse is also true. If you heat the band up, it will provide _more_ power than it would normally.

[NicholasRehm]

This is an absolutely incredible achievement, even if just for a fun “because I can” project. So many engineering challenges and solutions tied into such a well-thought out end design. Love it man!!

[firearmshistorian]

I used to build rubber powered balsa planes as a kid. Watching this video took me right back to being 12 years old, and that wonderful feeling of anticipation that every builder gets in the seconds before launch. Thank you!

[FlyingGospel]

It's totally epic to see the toy that kickstarted my passion into becoming the pilot I am today, turn into an actual full size aircraft. You just brought 4 year old me back to life. Amazing work!

[jimhiscott]

This brought back many many memories of 1975. I was 10 years old. I built many rubber band planes back then with my father taking me to competitions as he di in 1943 as a 10 year old child. My RC years progressed from there. To flying gliders at the local Costa Mesa bluffs to racing quickly 500's and onto F1 200+ mph airships. God bless you for this video. I am sure I enjoyed it more then any viewer you have. Thank you❤

[bulletproofpepper]

Noel’s giggling when it was flying was magical. Great project. Thanks for sharing.

[dragchute]

All that work for a 12 second flight .. TOTALLY worth it!! Well done my friend.

[shallowcaster]

What a work of art! Part of me wants to see you push the testing until failure or a catastrophic crash and part wants to see that beauty in the National Air and Space Museum.

[brianstroud]

My hats off to ya. The amount of labor must have been overwhelming! But really have to say...put a big smile on my face!! GREAT JOB!!!

[JohnMGibby]

Really cool project and much respect for the honor you showed your parents!

[stephencurry]

I am thankful to live in a country where a grown man can pursue such a ludicrous goal. Simply awesome.