Guillow Paul K, INC 60 Balsa Airplane Strato Streak

I am 75 years old and have many fond memories of spending $0.25 at the Ben Franklin on a Saturday afternoon to spend hours flying a rubber band powered, balsa wood glider. I grew up on a cul-de-sac and there was plenty of room to fly it. That's rule 1. It is made from a very fragile, light wood that floats easily. When you put it together, BE GENTILE. It's fragility is what makes it fly. After a few Saturdays spent pissed off because I broke the wing while sliding it through the fuselage, I learned NOT to break it. That's rule 2. DON'T GLUE IT TOGETHER. It may crash and the tail section may fall off and you have to put it back on. If you glue it together, when it crashes it will break Refer to rule 2. It came with two (2) rubber bands and I found that I could wind it tighter and it would fly further, but after about three hours of playing with it, the rubber bands would break. Game over. I would tie a knot in the end of the rubber band and shoot flies with it. I have this one special memory of the perfect flight with an AJ Hornet and if that rubber band powered, propeller driven, balsa wood glider can impact my life with life lesions like "be gentle", "cause and effect", and simple aerodynamics, it was well worth the time spent. I will use this glider to play with my 5 year old granddaughter. I put it together straight out of the package without mishap, drove to a large empty parking lot and wound it tight. While holding the propeller, I threw the plane into the wind releasing the propeller at the same time. It flew straight up until the rubber bands had expended its kinetic energy and the plane leveled off flying in two large circles and making a perfect three point landing. LIFE IS GOOD. Aurora will love it and it has been tested. They even have spare parts like rubber bands and propellers.

Just what I expectedEasy assembly

Not made like they used to be... fell apart within a day. Very disappointing

I use to buy this type of toy when I was very young. This airplane actually flies very well & lands if you adjust the wing right,which is all the way forward in the slot. Also when you wind the rubber band make sure you put some tension on it. Almost double wind it, you will know when you use it. Then throw it almost straight up, you will be pleasantly surprised, especially the young kids. I bought one for my small Grandchildren they loved it.

Doesn't fly at all. After several falls to the ground in the park, the wing of the plane broke. Waste of money.

Although I am a civil war re-enactor I have grown bored in recent years of having to spend hours dressing up before the event – only to be “shot” five minutes in, spending the rest of the time lying on the ground pretending to be dead and missing out on the beer afterwards.Also - I am allergic to the spirit glue required for the long fake beard.I was therefore looking for a more modern conflict to re-enact and preferably one that would allow me to wear civilian clothing. Imagine my surprise when I discovered these planes, which have allowed me to up-grade my war re-enacting to the 21st century. Yes, that’s right, I have now become a 9-11 re-enactor! When paired with two large fridge boxes standing in for the Twin Towers, this aircraft really fits the bill. I can re-enact that fateful day in September 2001 to my heart’s content – without even a single civilian casualty.I use lighter fluid to re-enact the fires and – although they are not exactly to scale, Lego men stand in for wounded passengers and bystanders. The rubber band gliders of course stand in for American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175. The only problem is that it is quite hard to reenact the hostage taking, as the aircraft are too small for me to fit inside. Also, I miss the “Twin Towers” quite often and this requires several re-launches, which can be quite frustrating, especially when you have spent the evening practicing saying “Allahu Akbar.”Unfortunately – I haven’t overcome the allergy to spirit glue – as I am often forced to play a bearded terrorist by the other re-enactors, some of whom can be quite violent. On a side note, the other re-enactors always fight one-another to play Dick Cheney – as he’s the only person who is allowed to shoot anyone, which is why I am only giving this plane a four star rating.

Easy to assemble and fun to play.

I purchased these for my three grandkids for stocking stuffer for Christmas. Haven't built and flown them yet since Christmas is yet to come. However, this model has always been a wonderful choice that they loved!Thanks!Edde