Airplane Axis of Rotation Model

thingiverse

I use this model in the Theory of Flight course to teach students about the axis of rotation and movement around it. I print the model with colored and natural filament, preferring the natural type because it shows the axis running through the airplane clearly. To scale up the models, I increase them to around 145. After printing, I insert pieces of wire from standard household hangers into the model and use super glue to hold them in place. I drill a hole through the wing with a small hand drill so that I can use one piece of wire for the vertical axis. For the fuselage part, I increase the Z height by 0.05 mm to add some thickness because if you accidentally drop the plane, it will break on the vertical axis. By increasing the thickness, I can add super glue into the hole after inserting the wire to help strengthen the joint.