You can build your own flapping-wing model that flies just like a real bird! This exciting project can be completed by middle and high school students. Kids might need a little help from an adult for some of the steps. This amazing flying bird is called an ornithopter. An ornithopter is any machine designed to fly by flapping its wings. This particular ornithopter is called the Freebird. It was developed specifically so you could build your own ornithopter more easily. We tried to make the Freebird as simple as possible so it wouldn't be too hard to build. There are two ways you can build the Freebird:

Freebird Kit
The easiest way is to build the ornithopter from a kit. This way, you'll be sure you have all the right materials, and many of the parts are already cut. The Freebird kit is available in our online store.

Free Plans
You can also build your Freebird ornithopter from the free plans on this web site. The plans are free, but you will need some special materials from your local hobby shop. It's actually less expensive to buy the kit.

Materials Balsa wood:     1/8" square stick (cut two 8" pieces)     3/32" square stick (cut two 7" pieces)     1/8 x 3/32" stick (cut one 5" piece)     1/8 x 5/16" stick (cut one 5" piece)     1/8 x 1/2" stick (cut one 1-3/8" piece) Basswood:     1/8 x 3/16" stick (cut one 1/2" piece) Model aircraft plywood, 1/32" thick (two 3/16 x 2-5/8" pieces) Steel music wire, 0.030 or 1/32" diameter Aluminum tubing, 1/16" diameter (cut three 1/2" pieces) Small plastic or glass bead with 1/32" hole Plastic tubing: insulation stripped from 22 gauge wire Model airplane rubber , 1/8" (cut 18 inches long)     (Do not use other rubber bands.) Model airplane tissue (6 x 20" sheet)

Tools and Glue White glue Epoxy or instant CA glue Razor blade or hobby knife * Needle-nose cutting pliers Cardboard to cut on Wax paper (optional) * Use caution. Children should be supervised.

Once you've gotten the materials together, print out the Freebird plans and get to work. You will need to print them on 8x14 inch legal size paper. You will need Adobe Reader to view and print the Freebird ornithopter plans. All the instructions are right on the plans, so you won't need to keep going back to your computer. Please note that the Freebird plans are protected by copyright and may not be distributed on the internet. Teachers may copy the plans for school use.

Once you've successfully completed your Freebird ornithopter, you can try many different experiments. For example, you can try making the wings bigger, or smaller, to see what happens. Also try changing the dimensions of the flapping mechanism, or making new wings of your own design. Maybe you can make it look or operate even more like a real bird! Visit The Ornithopter Zone for more ideas, and for more information on this type of aircraft.

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