What is this document about?

It is a humorous illustrated guide for building a tiny 'powered model aircraft' from split matchsticks, using live flies glued to the frame as engines.

How are the flies prepared as 'engines'?

Catch a couple of flies, put them in a glass pot, and place the pot in the freezer for a couple of seconds until the flies are cold and motionless. Don't cool them too much or it will kill them; the refrigerator takes longer.

What materials are used to build the airplane frame?

Split matchsticks glued together with rubber cement/contact glue. A bigger wing of lighter wood can be built to fit in even more engines. Some sulphur is left on one match to serve as the nose.

How do you revive the frozen flies once they're glued on?

Breathe warm air on the flies — the guide says the flies that were frozen a moment ago come back to life again.

Does this document contain any Ford Bronco repair information?

No. It contains no automotive content — no fuses, wiring, torque values, or part numbers. It is a joke/novelty craft guide.

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Build Your Own Fly-Powered Matchstick Model Aircraft - Illustrated Joke Guide

Illustrated step-by-step guide titled Build Your Very Own Powered Model Aircraft

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Illustrated step-by-step instructions for building a powered model aircraft, with numbered figures and explanatory text.

AI caption October 2003 · Photo 82 of 264

This document is not an automotive reference at all — it is a humorous illustrated step-by-step guide titled "Build Your Very Own Powered Model Aircraft." The comic-style instructions describe building a tiny model airplane from split matchsticks glued together with rubber cement, using live flies as "engines." Steps include: splitting a match with a razor blade (keeping some sulphur as the nose of the aircraft), gluing matchsticks into a frame, catching flies and chilling them briefly in a freezer (with a warning not to over-cool or refrigerate them, which takes longer or kills them), applying drops of contact glue where the "engines" will mount, placing the cold, motionless flies onto the glue pools, and breathing warm air on them to revive them. The finale claims that if done correctly, the plane will fly, powered by the attached flies. Illustrations show hands splitting a match, a rubber cement bottle, a glass pot over a fly, glue application, and the finished matchstick cross-frame plane with several flies glued to the wings. A reader learns nothing about any vehicle — this is a novelty/gag piece filed under a 1990 Ford Bronco gallery, with no fuse data, wiring, torque specs, or part numbers.

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Frequently asked questions

What is this document about?: It is a humorous illustrated guide for building a tiny 'powered model aircraft' from split matchsticks, using live flies glued to the frame as engines.
How are the flies prepared as 'engines'?: Catch a couple of flies, put them in a glass pot, and place the pot in the freezer for a couple of seconds until the flies are cold and motionless. Don't cool them too much or it will kill them; the refrigerator takes longer.
What materials are used to build the airplane frame?: Split matchsticks glued together with rubber cement/contact glue. A bigger wing of lighter wood can be built to fit in even more engines. Some sulphur is left on one match to serve as the nose.
How do you revive the frozen flies once they're glued on?: Breathe warm air on the flies — the guide says the flies that were frozen a moment ago come back to life again.
Does this document contain any Ford Bronco repair information?: No. It contains no automotive content — no fuses, wiring, torque values, or part numbers. It is a joke/novelty craft guide.