May 2003 53
HOW CAN YOU keep 50 or 60 kids
excited for a couple of hours, and maybe
much longer, for less than $5? With a bunch
of FPG-9 airplanes!
This little model was born out of a great
idea and a well-planned afternoon at a local
grade school that went terribly wrong. Two
volunteers went to the school to put on a
program designed to interest kids in model
airplanes using egg cartons as modelbuilding
materials. Sounds great so far,
right?
When the volunteers arrived, they found
themselves in the room with approximately
60 kids and learned that they had only 40
egg cartons with which to build models. It
■ Jack Reynolds
doesn’t take much to figure out how it went
from there; with at least 20 kids without
airplanes, the results were disastrous.
I felt so bad for the kids and the wellmeaning
volunteers that I started to design
an airplane that could be built
inexpensively, but it had to fly well, and
the result was what we called the “FPG-9.”
You can build 100 of these models for
roughly $5. All you need are two rolls of
pennies and 100 foam dinner plates.
I have crash-tested the FPG-9s at my
daughter’s day care, and they are a big hit
with the kids and the adults. The models
will take several launches and retrievals by
a 3-year-old, which speaks well for their
durability.
These airplanes are easy to assemble,
and the plans are included in this article.
Build a few, hand them to some children (3
to 70 years old), and watch the fun begin.
Construct an FPG-9 with the plans and get
a feel for how it flies, then let your
imagination go wild and design your own;
we have built several designs. The airplane
will fly as long as you stay close to the
wing design. If you have a pair of pinking
shears, you can even build a “stealth”
model.
And the name “FPG-9” stands for
“foam plate glider—9 inches.”
The thrill of model flight with the FPG-9 is on
this young enthusiast’s face.
Easy-to-construct foam-plate glider is
a great way to introduce youngsters
to the joys of model flight
54 MODEL AVIATION
CONSTRUCTION
To make the template for the wing, fold an 81⁄2 x 11-inch piece
of paper to 51⁄2 x 81⁄2 inches. Place the fold on the left, and
measure a 3⁄8-inch-wide x 1-inch-tall tab along the left top of the
fold. Measure 31⁄2 inches down from the top along the fold, and
make a dot on the folded edge of the paper.
On the right side of the paper, measure 21⁄2 inches down from
the top and make a dot on the edge of the paper. Measure 21⁄2
inches down from that dot and make a second dot.
Draw a line from the bottom dot on the left to the bottom dot
on the right side of the paper. Draw a line from the bottom of the
3⁄8 x 1-inch flap line you drew on the left to the top dot on the right
side of the paper. Now you should have two parallel lines going
from the upper left down to the right with a tab at the upper left.
Unfold that template, and you have a full-size plan for the
airplane’s wing.
Place the plan on the foam plate, and line up the fold crease
with the center of the plate, with the end of the 3⁄4 x 1-inch tab
even with the side of the plate where it starts to curve up.
Trace the pattern onto the foam, and cut it out with scissors, a
The first step in making the FPG-9 is to cut out the pattern and
place it on a 9-inch-diameter foam plate, as shown.
Trace completely around the model pattern using a felt-tip pen,
then lift the pattern off of the plate.
Foam can be cut easily using plastic children’s safety scissors. Separate the model’s vertical-fin piece, as shown.
Type: Inexpensive foam glider
Wingspan: 9 inches
Power: Steady toss by hand
Construction: Cut from standard foam plate
Covering/finish: Trim with felt-tip pen to your liking
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
May 2003 55
sharp knife, or even plastic children’s scissors; it cuts easily. Cut a slot
in the center of the rear edge of the wing that is roughly the thickness
of the foam material of the plate. From the scrap left below the wing,
cut a right triangle measuring 21⁄4 x 21⁄4 inches, and join the ends of the
lines. Cut the slot in the triangle so it will slide into the slot on the
wing.
Place the penny on the top of the wing under and even with the end
of the flap, and tape the flap down over the coin. Slide the triangle fin
into the slot on the wing up to the penny, and secure with a small piece
of tape under the wing.
You are ready to fly. Small adjustments to the penny will trim the
airplane to fly straight and level many times with glides of more than
30 feet. We have had glides exceeding 40 feet, but 25 to 30 feet is
normal.
If you’re short on time and need the pattern in a hurry, you can find it
on the AMA Education Committee Web site at www.buildandfly.com.
It’s in the “educator’s packet” section, which you can access near the
bottom of the list on the left side of the front page.
The FPG-9 glider is a fun little airplane for kids of all ages. You
may find yourself having as much fun as the kids with which you build
them. Get someone started flying and have fun. MA
Jack Reynolds
[email protected]
Place a penny on the front of the glider. This is the perfect
amount of weight for balance.
Fold the foam tab over the penny and secure it with a piece of
tape, and you’re ready to fly!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/05
Page Numbers: 53,54,55,56
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/05
Page Numbers: 53,54,55,56
May 2003 53
HOW CAN YOU keep 50 or 60 kids
excited for a couple of hours, and maybe
much longer, for less than $5? With a bunch
of FPG-9 airplanes!
This little model was born out of a great
idea and a well-planned afternoon at a local
grade school that went terribly wrong. Two
volunteers went to the school to put on a
program designed to interest kids in model
airplanes using egg cartons as modelbuilding
materials. Sounds great so far,
right?
When the volunteers arrived, they found
themselves in the room with approximately
60 kids and learned that they had only 40
egg cartons with which to build models. It
■ Jack Reynolds
doesn’t take much to figure out how it went
from there; with at least 20 kids without
airplanes, the results were disastrous.
I felt so bad for the kids and the wellmeaning
volunteers that I started to design
an airplane that could be built
inexpensively, but it had to fly well, and
the result was what we called the “FPG-9.”
You can build 100 of these models for
roughly $5. All you need are two rolls of
pennies and 100 foam dinner plates.
I have crash-tested the FPG-9s at my
daughter’s day care, and they are a big hit
with the kids and the adults. The models
will take several launches and retrievals by
a 3-year-old, which speaks well for their
durability.
These airplanes are easy to assemble,
and the plans are included in this article.
Build a few, hand them to some children (3
to 70 years old), and watch the fun begin.
Construct an FPG-9 with the plans and get
a feel for how it flies, then let your
imagination go wild and design your own;
we have built several designs. The airplane
will fly as long as you stay close to the
wing design. If you have a pair of pinking
shears, you can even build a “stealth”
model.
And the name “FPG-9” stands for
“foam plate glider—9 inches.”
The thrill of model flight with the FPG-9 is on
this young enthusiast’s face.
Easy-to-construct foam-plate glider is
a great way to introduce youngsters
to the joys of model flight
54 MODEL AVIATION
CONSTRUCTION
To make the template for the wing, fold an 81⁄2 x 11-inch piece
of paper to 51⁄2 x 81⁄2 inches. Place the fold on the left, and
measure a 3⁄8-inch-wide x 1-inch-tall tab along the left top of the
fold. Measure 31⁄2 inches down from the top along the fold, and
make a dot on the folded edge of the paper.
On the right side of the paper, measure 21⁄2 inches down from
the top and make a dot on the edge of the paper. Measure 21⁄2
inches down from that dot and make a second dot.
Draw a line from the bottom dot on the left to the bottom dot
on the right side of the paper. Draw a line from the bottom of the
3⁄8 x 1-inch flap line you drew on the left to the top dot on the right
side of the paper. Now you should have two parallel lines going
from the upper left down to the right with a tab at the upper left.
Unfold that template, and you have a full-size plan for the
airplane’s wing.
Place the plan on the foam plate, and line up the fold crease
with the center of the plate, with the end of the 3⁄4 x 1-inch tab
even with the side of the plate where it starts to curve up.
Trace the pattern onto the foam, and cut it out with scissors, a
The first step in making the FPG-9 is to cut out the pattern and
place it on a 9-inch-diameter foam plate, as shown.
Trace completely around the model pattern using a felt-tip pen,
then lift the pattern off of the plate.
Foam can be cut easily using plastic children’s safety scissors. Separate the model’s vertical-fin piece, as shown.
Type: Inexpensive foam glider
Wingspan: 9 inches
Power: Steady toss by hand
Construction: Cut from standard foam plate
Covering/finish: Trim with felt-tip pen to your liking
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
May 2003 55
sharp knife, or even plastic children’s scissors; it cuts easily. Cut a slot
in the center of the rear edge of the wing that is roughly the thickness
of the foam material of the plate. From the scrap left below the wing,
cut a right triangle measuring 21⁄4 x 21⁄4 inches, and join the ends of the
lines. Cut the slot in the triangle so it will slide into the slot on the
wing.
Place the penny on the top of the wing under and even with the end
of the flap, and tape the flap down over the coin. Slide the triangle fin
into the slot on the wing up to the penny, and secure with a small piece
of tape under the wing.
You are ready to fly. Small adjustments to the penny will trim the
airplane to fly straight and level many times with glides of more than
30 feet. We have had glides exceeding 40 feet, but 25 to 30 feet is
normal.
If you’re short on time and need the pattern in a hurry, you can find it
on the AMA Education Committee Web site at www.buildandfly.com.
It’s in the “educator’s packet” section, which you can access near the
bottom of the list on the left side of the front page.
The FPG-9 glider is a fun little airplane for kids of all ages. You
may find yourself having as much fun as the kids with which you build
them. Get someone started flying and have fun. MA
Jack Reynolds
[email protected]
Place a penny on the front of the glider. This is the perfect
amount of weight for balance.
Fold the foam tab over the penny and secure it with a piece of
tape, and you’re ready to fly!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/05
Page Numbers: 53,54,55,56
May 2003 53
HOW CAN YOU keep 50 or 60 kids
excited for a couple of hours, and maybe
much longer, for less than $5? With a bunch
of FPG-9 airplanes!
This little model was born out of a great
idea and a well-planned afternoon at a local
grade school that went terribly wrong. Two
volunteers went to the school to put on a
program designed to interest kids in model
airplanes using egg cartons as modelbuilding
materials. Sounds great so far,
right?
When the volunteers arrived, they found
themselves in the room with approximately
60 kids and learned that they had only 40
egg cartons with which to build models. It
■ Jack Reynolds
doesn’t take much to figure out how it went
from there; with at least 20 kids without
airplanes, the results were disastrous.
I felt so bad for the kids and the wellmeaning
volunteers that I started to design
an airplane that could be built
inexpensively, but it had to fly well, and
the result was what we called the “FPG-9.”
You can build 100 of these models for
roughly $5. All you need are two rolls of
pennies and 100 foam dinner plates.
I have crash-tested the FPG-9s at my
daughter’s day care, and they are a big hit
with the kids and the adults. The models
will take several launches and retrievals by
a 3-year-old, which speaks well for their
durability.
These airplanes are easy to assemble,
and the plans are included in this article.
Build a few, hand them to some children (3
to 70 years old), and watch the fun begin.
Construct an FPG-9 with the plans and get
a feel for how it flies, then let your
imagination go wild and design your own;
we have built several designs. The airplane
will fly as long as you stay close to the
wing design. If you have a pair of pinking
shears, you can even build a “stealth”
model.
And the name “FPG-9” stands for
“foam plate glider—9 inches.”
The thrill of model flight with the FPG-9 is on
this young enthusiast’s face.
Easy-to-construct foam-plate glider is
a great way to introduce youngsters
to the joys of model flight
54 MODEL AVIATION
CONSTRUCTION
To make the template for the wing, fold an 81⁄2 x 11-inch piece
of paper to 51⁄2 x 81⁄2 inches. Place the fold on the left, and
measure a 3⁄8-inch-wide x 1-inch-tall tab along the left top of the
fold. Measure 31⁄2 inches down from the top along the fold, and
make a dot on the folded edge of the paper.
On the right side of the paper, measure 21⁄2 inches down from
the top and make a dot on the edge of the paper. Measure 21⁄2
inches down from that dot and make a second dot.
Draw a line from the bottom dot on the left to the bottom dot
on the right side of the paper. Draw a line from the bottom of the
3⁄8 x 1-inch flap line you drew on the left to the top dot on the right
side of the paper. Now you should have two parallel lines going
from the upper left down to the right with a tab at the upper left.
Unfold that template, and you have a full-size plan for the
airplane’s wing.
Place the plan on the foam plate, and line up the fold crease
with the center of the plate, with the end of the 3⁄4 x 1-inch tab
even with the side of the plate where it starts to curve up.
Trace the pattern onto the foam, and cut it out with scissors, a
The first step in making the FPG-9 is to cut out the pattern and
place it on a 9-inch-diameter foam plate, as shown.
Trace completely around the model pattern using a felt-tip pen,
then lift the pattern off of the plate.
Foam can be cut easily using plastic children’s safety scissors. Separate the model’s vertical-fin piece, as shown.
Type: Inexpensive foam glider
Wingspan: 9 inches
Power: Steady toss by hand
Construction: Cut from standard foam plate
Covering/finish: Trim with felt-tip pen to your liking
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
May 2003 55
sharp knife, or even plastic children’s scissors; it cuts easily. Cut a slot
in the center of the rear edge of the wing that is roughly the thickness
of the foam material of the plate. From the scrap left below the wing,
cut a right triangle measuring 21⁄4 x 21⁄4 inches, and join the ends of the
lines. Cut the slot in the triangle so it will slide into the slot on the
wing.
Place the penny on the top of the wing under and even with the end
of the flap, and tape the flap down over the coin. Slide the triangle fin
into the slot on the wing up to the penny, and secure with a small piece
of tape under the wing.
You are ready to fly. Small adjustments to the penny will trim the
airplane to fly straight and level many times with glides of more than
30 feet. We have had glides exceeding 40 feet, but 25 to 30 feet is
normal.
If you’re short on time and need the pattern in a hurry, you can find it
on the AMA Education Committee Web site at www.buildandfly.com.
It’s in the “educator’s packet” section, which you can access near the
bottom of the list on the left side of the front page.
The FPG-9 glider is a fun little airplane for kids of all ages. You
may find yourself having as much fun as the kids with which you build
them. Get someone started flying and have fun. MA
Jack Reynolds
[email protected]
Place a penny on the front of the glider. This is the perfect
amount of weight for balance.
Fold the foam tab over the penny and secure it with a piece of
tape, and you’re ready to fly!
Edition: Model Aviation - 2003/05
Page Numbers: 53,54,55,56
May 2003 53
HOW CAN YOU keep 50 or 60 kids
excited for a couple of hours, and maybe
much longer, for less than $5? With a bunch
of FPG-9 airplanes!
This little model was born out of a great
idea and a well-planned afternoon at a local
grade school that went terribly wrong. Two
volunteers went to the school to put on a
program designed to interest kids in model
airplanes using egg cartons as modelbuilding
materials. Sounds great so far,
right?
When the volunteers arrived, they found
themselves in the room with approximately
60 kids and learned that they had only 40
egg cartons with which to build models. It
■ Jack Reynolds
doesn’t take much to figure out how it went
from there; with at least 20 kids without
airplanes, the results were disastrous.
I felt so bad for the kids and the wellmeaning
volunteers that I started to design
an airplane that could be built
inexpensively, but it had to fly well, and
the result was what we called the “FPG-9.”
You can build 100 of these models for
roughly $5. All you need are two rolls of
pennies and 100 foam dinner plates.
I have crash-tested the FPG-9s at my
daughter’s day care, and they are a big hit
with the kids and the adults. The models
will take several launches and retrievals by
a 3-year-old, which speaks well for their
durability.
These airplanes are easy to assemble,
and the plans are included in this article.
Build a few, hand them to some children (3
to 70 years old), and watch the fun begin.
Construct an FPG-9 with the plans and get
a feel for how it flies, then let your
imagination go wild and design your own;
we have built several designs. The airplane
will fly as long as you stay close to the
wing design. If you have a pair of pinking
shears, you can even build a “stealth”
model.
And the name “FPG-9” stands for
“foam plate glider—9 inches.”
The thrill of model flight with the FPG-9 is on
this young enthusiast’s face.
Easy-to-construct foam-plate glider is
a great way to introduce youngsters
to the joys of model flight
54 MODEL AVIATION
CONSTRUCTION
To make the template for the wing, fold an 81⁄2 x 11-inch piece
of paper to 51⁄2 x 81⁄2 inches. Place the fold on the left, and
measure a 3⁄8-inch-wide x 1-inch-tall tab along the left top of the
fold. Measure 31⁄2 inches down from the top along the fold, and
make a dot on the folded edge of the paper.
On the right side of the paper, measure 21⁄2 inches down from
the top and make a dot on the edge of the paper. Measure 21⁄2
inches down from that dot and make a second dot.
Draw a line from the bottom dot on the left to the bottom dot
on the right side of the paper. Draw a line from the bottom of the
3⁄8 x 1-inch flap line you drew on the left to the top dot on the right
side of the paper. Now you should have two parallel lines going
from the upper left down to the right with a tab at the upper left.
Unfold that template, and you have a full-size plan for the
airplane’s wing.
Place the plan on the foam plate, and line up the fold crease
with the center of the plate, with the end of the 3⁄4 x 1-inch tab
even with the side of the plate where it starts to curve up.
Trace the pattern onto the foam, and cut it out with scissors, a
The first step in making the FPG-9 is to cut out the pattern and
place it on a 9-inch-diameter foam plate, as shown.
Trace completely around the model pattern using a felt-tip pen,
then lift the pattern off of the plate.
Foam can be cut easily using plastic children’s safety scissors. Separate the model’s vertical-fin piece, as shown.
Type: Inexpensive foam glider
Wingspan: 9 inches
Power: Steady toss by hand
Construction: Cut from standard foam plate
Covering/finish: Trim with felt-tip pen to your liking
Photos by the author Graphic Design by Carla Kunz
May 2003 55
sharp knife, or even plastic children’s scissors; it cuts easily. Cut a slot
in the center of the rear edge of the wing that is roughly the thickness
of the foam material of the plate. From the scrap left below the wing,
cut a right triangle measuring 21⁄4 x 21⁄4 inches, and join the ends of the
lines. Cut the slot in the triangle so it will slide into the slot on the
wing.
Place the penny on the top of the wing under and even with the end
of the flap, and tape the flap down over the coin. Slide the triangle fin
into the slot on the wing up to the penny, and secure with a small piece
of tape under the wing.
You are ready to fly. Small adjustments to the penny will trim the
airplane to fly straight and level many times with glides of more than
30 feet. We have had glides exceeding 40 feet, but 25 to 30 feet is
normal.
If you’re short on time and need the pattern in a hurry, you can find it
on the AMA Education Committee Web site at www.buildandfly.com.
It’s in the “educator’s packet” section, which you can access near the
bottom of the list on the left side of the front page.
The FPG-9 glider is a fun little airplane for kids of all ages. You
may find yourself having as much fun as the kids with which you build
them. Get someone started flying and have fun. MA
Jack Reynolds
[email protected]
Place a penny on the front of the glider. This is the perfect
amount of weight for balance.
Fold the foam tab over the penny and secure it with a piece of
tape, and you’re ready to fly!
