I saw the original SpinFlyer in Make Magazine and thought it would be a fun little toy to play with. It’s mechanically very simple and it took a couple of hours to make.

To use it, you spin it round in the same plane as the ground. Another bearing then allows the aeroplane or aerofoil to rise. There is a counterweight on the other end. I believe the idea is that the wing generates lift but I suspect in my version at least there isn’t much lift. Instead it rises because of centripetal force acting on the arm.

Anyway, it’s good fun to mess around with and adjusting the counterweight by moving the screws along the bolt allows for some experimentation.