Note: I am not a very humble person, but I have come accross a really great beginers airplane design by Mr. Darcy Whyte that is better than what I have been making. It's called the Squirrel. I will still write out step-by-step instructions here eventually because his two pages of instructions might be a little hard for beginners to follow. He uses them mostly during the classes he teaches (if you are lucky enough to live near Toronto you can sign up for them).

For now, go to Darcy's web site and download the PDF instructions here rubber-power.com for the squirrel. Note that he has an instructional video there, too. You might ve able to stream it with a fast connection, or right-click and "save target as."

You also might want to check out these instructions for building a flapping flying device by ornithopter wizard Nathan Chronister. I bought one of Nathan's basic kits. It was somewhat challenging to make the first one because I couldn't quite visualize how all the parts would work together and I was slow to understand how the prop wire was bent. But it does fly well, it is truly unworldly to watch, and making a second one would be easy.

. Also, check Nathan's web site. It is informative with short videos. http://www.ornithopter.org/index.shtml

Instructions for building an ornithopter.

I do have some rough instructions for making a homemade propeller from a 2-liter plastic soft drink bottle.