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Paper Airplanes vs. Rubber Band Airplanes

The strong point for paper airplanes is that they are very easy to build. Materials are immediately available and inexpensive. Kids can decorate them with markers, stamps, hole punches and such. Paper is pretty easy to deal with as it can be torn and cut with scissors.

Here is a nice video I received from Eduardo Bitencort of Brazil.

On the downside, they can't fly very far. Also they are not a stable platform to learn about trimming and aerodynamics because they are so flexible and structurally unstable.

Elastic band powered planes traditionally are much more difficult to build. In the past they've needed special materials such as balsa wood and tissue paper. They also take great deal more work and patience. Most people would not be introduced to this art unless they have an enthusiast in the family who can spend a lot of time mentoring and teaching the techniques.

The Squirrel was designed to make Elastic Band Power more accessible and to rely on less tools and expertise. It's easy to get flights of a minute and it is still easy to build.

They can still be decorated with stamping, markers and such. Further, tissue can be layered and joined to create very unique affects. So there's the aerodynamic educational component as well as the opportunity to be creative artisitcally.

Of course it will not replace paper airplanes but there will be cases where a stick and tissue model can be used where previously a paper airplane was the only thing simple enough.

Click here to make your own simple model plane!