Andy sent me this note on his Squirrel made from condenser paper and other more high performance materials.

Darcy, at last I got around to building the Squirrel. I did some things differently so it took me a little longer; still amazing airplane for the time investment.

I was getting ready to draw a plan, when I realized that a single-letter size sheet wouldn’t be enough, as the wingspan is 12 inches. How inconvenient… you’re right… very little would be gained from having a plan. Glad to see the video on your site. I hope lots of the Small flying Arts guys watch it & build squirrels.

OK, here’s what I did differently – I wanted a Squirrel for the living room. I used the Ikara 6″ (“butterfly”) prop, hanger, and hook. I cut the top off the prop hanger so I could glue it at a steep angle for lots of sidethrust. I used 1/16 sq for all flying surfaces. 3/32 x 3/16, very hard, for the fuselage stick, tapered to 0 over the last 2 inches. I used vegi-bag plastic instead of tissue for covering, it’s lighter (cannot be cut w/scissors). No wing seat on the fuselage, instead the wing rides on 3″ x 1/16 sq piece, slightly off center against torque, taped to the motorstick so wing position can still be adjusted. Otherwise it’s just your Squirrel.

Weight is 2.5 grams.

enjoy,
Ondrej “Andy” Mitas
art, music, airplanes