How to Fly your Free-Flight Squirrel

Your Squirrel should give you years of enjoyment (as long as it doesn't fly away or get lost in a tree!). So be sure to use a large area such as a gymnasium or a LARGE field.

They work great outdoors but need a calm day. I find that if the weather report says that it's less than 5 km (2 mph) per hour it starts to be okay. Also just before sun set or early morning, there is often less wind.

How to wind up your Squirrel

Here's a brief video on how to wind-up your Squirrel. It's important to note that you need about 200 turns for trimming (testing) and 400-500 turns for normal flying. You should trim it first (see trimming section below).

You can also use a crank winder.

Trimming a Model Airplane

The Squirrel has good roll stability so unless you built it extremely crooked it should fly straight or with a gentle turn in either direction.

The first step is to trim the airplane for Pitch. Pitch refers to climbing, diving and such. The Squirrel has an adjustable wing that slides forward and backward so the idea is to find the right spot for the wing.

Start with about 200 turns on the propeller.

You will need to launch the airplane like a dart. Launch it lightly and level or towards a point 50 feet ahead on the ground. You need to hold the propeller while you launch it so that it doesn't unwind till you release it. In the picture at the left, the airplane is being launched much too steep!

Observe the airplane while it is powered by the elastic band. If it stabilizes quickly to a gentle climb then the wing is in the right position. If it dives then you either don't have enough winding or the wing is too far back. If it climbs excessively and then falls back then it is stalling and the wing must be moved back. If it oscillates between climbing and diving then it is probably stalling as well so the wing needs to be moved back. Move the wing a bit at a time till you get a gentle climb under power.

Here are a few videos:

In the following video, the wing is too far forward and is causing extreme stalling.

In the video below, the wing is too far back and the airplane fails to climb. This could also be caused by insufficient winding of the propeller.

Handling a Rubber-Power Model Airplane

When you pick it up, there may be winding left. So pick it up by the propeller hub so that you preserve those winds.

Indoor Flying

In an indoor environment if your Squirrel turns then it will fly longer. Here are some examples:

Obstacles to Flying Model Airplanes

This can happen to anyone.

As you can see, this young man is taking lessons from me.

Happy Flying and please send pictures and videos!