AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2021 - 30

PILOT BRIEFING
JUST FOR FUN |

Can air
In which the author attempts to build his first 'airplane'
B Y I A N J. T W O M B LY

WE'RE ALL SORT OF OVER IT. It seems like
decades have passed since the global
coronavirus pandemic began, and it has
clearly worn on our collective patience
and turned many of us into Unabomberlevel hermits.
The key to mentally and emotionally
surviving such a strange period in our history is to stay active, exercise, and continue
to challenge yourself. So began my interest
in building a model airplane.
Like many pilots I'm smitten with the
idea of building my own airplane. This,
despite a lack of tools, skills, or patience
to undertake such an endeavor. It might
be part of the reason I've always enjoyed
seeing airplane models made from beer
and soda cans. B.C. Air Originals is, well,
the original source of plans for can models of everything from a Cessna 172 to a
Star Wars TIE Fighter. Owner Wayne
Mathis began making the plans in 1984
after a flying friend bet him he couldn't
make a good-looking airplane out of a can.
Many times I've considered spending the
$10 to get a set of his plans. Alas, I'm too

30 | AOPA PILOT May 2021

cheap, not to mention intimidated, to
pony up the $10.
In response to the pandemic, Mathis
decided to give back to the community, and
is now offering for free his entire stock of
more than 50 plans. This is a price I can
get behind, so I perused the website and
decided to build a T-6.
For weeks I dutifully drank the beer
and collected the empty cans. I kept a few
cardboard boxes, went to the store for a bit
of wire, printed out the plans, and finally
overcame my insecurities and made a commitment to start building. Deadlines will
do that to you.
It began well. I gathered a few basic
tools and the materials, and sat down alone
outside on a nice day to finally get started.
Although I had wanted to get my kids
involved, something in the back of my mind
told me that it wouldn't be a good idea, and
I was right. Not only is the construction
time-consuming, it's also potentially ouchy
for little fingers.
Like putting together a piece of furniture
from Ikea, the plans are easy to understand,

and immediately lull you into a false sense of
confidence. Step 1: Pull the tab off the top of
a can and cut off the bottom. (I can do that!)
Step 2: Cut a different can about 2.5 inches
from the top. (Why had I waited so long to do
this when it is so easy?) Step 3: Pull the tabs
off 13 cans and cut off the tops and bottoms
of each. (Ugh.) Momentum lost.
I knew it was time to stop building for
the day when I glued the carboard wing
doubler onto the wrong side of the wing.
This was not entirely surprising given my
notorious history of mounting shelves
upside down on Ikea furniture.
Mathis said more than 5,000 people
have built airplanes from his plans, and the
photos on his website show many are quite
skilled at doing so. They work tirelessly to
line up the cans like some professional
advertising wrap. Suffice to say, my photos will not be going on the website. No
one wants to see pictures of upside-down
wings and a pile of " mistake " cans.
bcair.com

EMAIL

ian.twombly@aopa.org
http://www.bcair.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2021

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