Your Squirrel should give you years of enjoyment (as long as it doesn’t fly away or get lost in a tree or tall building).

Use a large area such as a gymnasium or a LARGE field. Outdoors requires a calm day.

Basic Winding and Launch Technique

Five Squirrelly rules from the video!

1) The elastic is “pre-wound” before it is hooked onto the toothpick. When you wind it later, it may have enough winding to already be on the toothpick.

2) Don’t throw the plane. Use the gentle technique suggested in the video. Lunch it level.

3) Release the propeller, then release the plane one second after.

4) Pick up by the “nose”.

5) If it climbs too much, move the wing back slightly. If it doesn’t climb at all, move the wing forward (more on this below).

Adjusting for flight!

The Squirrel has an adjustable wing that slides forward and backward so the idea is to find the right spot for the wing. Once you have wound the propeller about 200 times, you are ready for testing.

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.

In this video it seems okay.

Now we’re ready for winding it up more!

Happy Flying and please send pictures and videos!