Ever wondered how to make paper airplanes that just keep flying? Well now you can (for 10 minutes at least) with the amazing new gadget called the Power Up 3.0 . Not only will it just keep going it can also be controlled with a smartphone app. Giving a whole new meaning to putting your phone into “Airplane Mode”
The PowerUp 3.0 is the worlds first conversion kit to transform paper airplanes into rc planes capable of flying to a range of 55 meters (180 feet) while being controlled via bluetooth technology with your smartphone.
PowerUp 3.0 is made from carbon fibre making it pretty much indestructible considering that the impact force of a paper plane is next to nothing. The biggest danger of collateral damage will more than likely come from having to let your overly excited child handle your brand new iPhone 6 while he or she is staring up at the sky, oblivious of the goal post they are about to collide with.
The Power Up 3.0 app is cleverly designed to allow the manoeuvring of the paper aeroplane simply by tilting the phone. There is a throttle control on the touchscreen to ascend/descend. The app has a beginner and an advanced mode to help you get to grips with the controls.
So how easy is it to fly Power up 3.0 powered paper aeroplanes?
Well, there is definitely a learning curve, but that’s half of the fun of it right? For anyone who remembers mastering the Dodo on GTA III will remember the utter joy and satisfaction that you feel after you have managed to successfully keep it up for longer than 3 minutes – no pun intended.
If you are wondering how to make paper airplanes that will work with PowerUp 3.0, you can either download proven PDF templates or invent your own just like a modern day Da-Vinci.
The PowerUp 3.0 comes with a spare propeller, rudder, paper templates, a user guide as well as a Micro USB charging. With a maximum fly time of 10 minutes, it would probably be worth investing in a portable battery pack in order to recharge it without having to return home.
This little tech gadget could provide hours of outdoor fun for the family, which seems a hard thing to accomplish these days. Dragging my son away from his console or tablet will be a lot easier with a PowerUp 3.0, and if he is still not interested, well, I might just go play with myself – that’s my second unintentional pun
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Useful customer review:
Awesome tech gadget that works incredibly well!
The PowerUp 3.0 is the real deal. I admit I was sceptical at first, but with persistence and determination, this turned out to be a ton of fun.
I talked this up to my boy for days before it arrived. After watching the video, he would ask each morning, “Can we fly the red plane today, Dad?” Finally the perfect Saturday morning arrived: it was warm outside with a very slight breeze, and the local park was empty. I had made sure I watched the tutorial videos beforehand and had it all charged up (took only 15-20 minutes). We cleared the table and went to work. The templates provided with the kit were fantastic. As I am not a perfectionist by nature, I was very careful to fold exactly where the lines indicated. We finished creating the beginner plane (called the Invader, which I would recommend starting with) and attached the PowerUp 3.0. I decided to add a very small piece of tape to the back end just to keep it connected well to the plane (which I would recommend doing). I had also previously downloaded the app on my Samsung S4 and synced it with the PowerUp (which was a synch).
Then it was finally time for the first launch. We practised throwing the plane several times without the motor (as recommended), made slight adjustments as needed, then powered it up. I wasn’t expecting perfection from the first flight (nor should you!), so I wasn’t at all disappointed when it didn’t go far the first time. The throttle, tilt of the phone, the angle of the wings, and the small flaps on the plane (pardon my ignorance of aeronautical terms!) all needed to be just right. It was actually incredibly fulfilling launching and adjusting, launching and adjusting, launching and adjusting some more until we finally got that first long flight. It seems crazy, but it felt like a personal victory somehow! Victory over gravity, victory over impatience, victory over imperfections, who knows. From there, we just ran with it. We experimented with different planes, different launch points, different angles with or against the wind, different launch speeds…and just had a blast! I would feel amiss if I didn’t give props to the app’s air traffic controller audio track. My boy loved it!
I love cool tech gadgets, but I especially love cool tech gadgets that actually work and do cool things. The PowerUp 3.0 is one of those. I don’t mean to be over dramatic, but it really combined my boyhood love of paper airplanes with my boy’s love of planes and smartphones into an awesome experience to be enjoyed over and over again. Props to the designers and creators of this inventive, fun, and sturdy device!
-by Branden K
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