This review is from: PowerUp 2.0 Electric Paper Airplane Conversion kit (Toy)
Customer Video Review Length:: 0:18 Mins
I had read about the PowerUp in Popular Science. Soon after that my 3 year old overheard me telling my wife about it and got so excited that he saved money in his piggy bank for months and months in order to buy a “paper airplane propeller”. He got enough change saved up, and we ordered it directly from the PowerUp website just a couple of weeks ago. While it was shipping, I did some research online, and saw the negative reviews here on Amazon. I watched videos online of the device flying, so I knew it COULD work, but I got a sense it might not be easy, as clearly people here on Amazon and elsewhere were struggling to get it to fly.
I didn’t want my 3 year old to be disappointed when it arrived, so I practiced folding planes ahead of time, just to make sure I was ready. Turns out I wasn’t great at it. Even the most basic designs didn’t fly well. It took a lot of tweaking and practice to get a plane that flew well on its own (and the Power Up instructions insist that your plane must fly well on it’s own before the propeller is even attached). I learned about using “flaps” and a “rudder” to correct imperfections in the folding. I realized that different weights of paper really affect the flight as well. Pretty soon, I had planes that glided nicely across the house and was ready for the Power Up to arrive.
When the PowerUp came, we headed to the park to give it a whirl. I brought four pre-folded paper airplanes that I had made earlier, and that I knew flew well. We slid the PowerUp on, charged it up, and gave it a toss. It took a bit of a nose dive, so I raised the flaps in the back (just as the instructions suggest doing if the plane is nose diving). The second flight was a success and was in the air for at least 10 seconds, which sounds quick but is actually quite a long time when you experience it. The attached video is from one of the first flights. Even my three year old can use it and (although it helps quite a bit if I put him on my shoulders so he can get a higher initial launch).
I think the big issue here is that people have a misconception that paper airplanes are ‘childs play’ and are very easy to make (try folding one by memory, without a guide, and you’ll likely be very disappointed in the results) and also that the PowerUp is simply a ‘toy’ and shouldn’t require any work. If you are willing to practice the engineering behind making a great paper airplane, and behind correcting flight problems (all of which is spelled out in the included instructions) it makes for an awesome toy, and an awesome learning and teaching experience for kids.
I did have a slight misfortune during this initial flight outing…. the plane hit a metal playground bar, knocking off the propeller, which we couldn’t find (the instructions clearly state to only fly it in an open field). Fortunately a backup propeller was included. Unfortunately I put it on backwards, and when I tried to remove the propeller, the engine ripped out with it, and I was left with wires hanging out of a broken plane. This was my fault, but frustrating. Be VERY careful should you ever intentionally try to remove the propeller. I ordered a second PowerUp 2.0 today and look forward to getting back to flying!
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This review is from: PowerUp 2.0 Electric Paper Airplane Conversion kit (Toy)
This thing is a blast! I bought one prior to taking my son to a cub scout outing. The first tries were less than stellar. This was not the PowerUp’s fault…we just made a poor airplane – the boys made suggestions on how to improve the plane and through trial and error we tweaked the plane into a flying machine of high quality. Our first flight was mere seconds, but over time we increased the flight time on the plane we made to almost 3 minutes. After that, they spent hours chasing after the plane. Recharge times were fast enough to keep the boys happy, and the ability to discharge the device was very helpful at lunch time. As far as durability: 12 boys ages 10-12 years old bounced it off of a few trees, pulled on it, hit the parking lot a few times, and even got it stuck on the roof once. (I know it says indoor use, but…) The PowerUp 2.0 is still running.
My son now has a new goal in life, he want to be an Aeronautical Engineer. I am now happily subjected to my 11 year old telling me about how ailerons work and how we can optimize the airfoil effect of a paper airplane wing to best increase lift.
Some toys are worth more than what you pay for them. Thanks PowerUp.
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This review is from: PowerUp 2.0 Electric Paper Airplane Conversion kit (Toy)
I purchased five PowerUp 2.0s for a class I was teaching. The students had fun trying to make their paper airplanes fly. Durability was not a problem, but it is difficult to make the airplanes fly well. Perhaps more practice or a better paper airplane design is needed. Flying outside is really difficult if there is a light breeze. The great thing was that the little motors worked well and allowed the everyone to imagine what might be possible.
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It Takes Some Work to Make it Work, but IT WORKS,
Customer Video Review Length:: 0:18 Mins
I had read about the PowerUp in Popular Science. Soon after that my 3 year old overheard me telling my wife about it and got so excited that he saved money in his piggy bank for months and months in order to buy a “paper airplane propeller”. He got enough change saved up, and we ordered it directly from the PowerUp website just a couple of weeks ago. While it was shipping, I did some research online, and saw the negative reviews here on Amazon. I watched videos online of the device flying, so I knew it COULD work, but I got a sense it might not be easy, as clearly people here on Amazon and elsewhere were struggling to get it to fly.
I didn’t want my 3 year old to be disappointed when it arrived, so I practiced folding planes ahead of time, just to make sure I was ready. Turns out I wasn’t great at it. Even the most basic designs didn’t fly well. It took a lot of tweaking and practice to get a plane that flew well on its own (and the Power Up instructions insist that your plane must fly well on it’s own before the propeller is even attached). I learned about using “flaps” and a “rudder” to correct imperfections in the folding. I realized that different weights of paper really affect the flight as well. Pretty soon, I had planes that glided nicely across the house and was ready for the Power Up to arrive.
When the PowerUp came, we headed to the park to give it a whirl. I brought four pre-folded paper airplanes that I had made earlier, and that I knew flew well. We slid the PowerUp on, charged it up, and gave it a toss. It took a bit of a nose dive, so I raised the flaps in the back (just as the instructions suggest doing if the plane is nose diving). The second flight was a success and was in the air for at least 10 seconds, which sounds quick but is actually quite a long time when you experience it. The attached video is from one of the first flights. Even my three year old can use it and (although it helps quite a bit if I put him on my shoulders so he can get a higher initial launch).
I think the big issue here is that people have a misconception that paper airplanes are ‘childs play’ and are very easy to make (try folding one by memory, without a guide, and you’ll likely be very disappointed in the results) and also that the PowerUp is simply a ‘toy’ and shouldn’t require any work. If you are willing to practice the engineering behind making a great paper airplane, and behind correcting flight problems (all of which is spelled out in the included instructions) it makes for an awesome toy, and an awesome learning and teaching experience for kids.
I did have a slight misfortune during this initial flight outing…. the plane hit a metal playground bar, knocking off the propeller, which we couldn’t find (the instructions clearly state to only fly it in an open field). Fortunately a backup propeller was included. Unfortunately I put it on backwards, and when I tried to remove the propeller, the engine ripped out with it, and I was left with wires hanging out of a broken plane. This was my fault, but frustrating. Be VERY careful should you ever intentionally try to remove the propeller. I ordered a second PowerUp 2.0 today and look forward to getting back to flying!
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|PowerUp 2.0 is AWESOME!,
I bought one prior to taking my son to a cub scout outing.
The first tries were less than stellar. This was not the PowerUp’s fault…we just made a poor airplane – the boys made suggestions on how to improve the plane and through trial and error we tweaked the plane into a flying machine of high quality. Our first flight was mere seconds, but over time we increased the flight time on the plane we made to almost 3 minutes.
After that, they spent hours chasing after the plane.
Recharge times were fast enough to keep the boys happy, and the ability to discharge the device was very helpful at lunch time.
As far as durability: 12 boys ages 10-12 years old bounced it off of a few trees, pulled on it, hit the parking lot a few times, and even got it stuck on the roof once. (I know it says indoor use, but…) The PowerUp 2.0 is still running.
My son now has a new goal in life, he want to be an Aeronautical Engineer. I am now happily subjected to my 11 year old telling me about how ailerons work and how we can optimize the airfoil effect of a paper airplane wing to best increase lift.
Some toys are worth more than what you pay for them.
Thanks PowerUp.
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|Fun but challenging to make fly well,
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