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YouTuber builds flying machine with 50 drone motors, 3D printer, duct tape

Aviation buff and YouTuber Peter Sripol may have succeeded in creating a paramotor with his 3D printer, 50 drone motors, hot glue, and duct tape. But his warning to anyone watching the video below is pretty straightforward: “Don’t try this at home. Definitely, definitely don’t do any of this at home.”

Paramotoring or powered paragliding is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a back-mounted motor (a paramotor), which provides enough thrust to take off using a paraglider. It can be launched in still air, or on level ground, by the pilot alone without any assistance. In his latest video, Sripol takes us through the process of creating a homemade paramotor with drone parts.

And we have to say, the YouTuber’s flying machine looks like a lot of fun. But the DIY contraption uses way more duct tape than any gravity-defying equipment your life depends on should be allowed to use.

Even the batteries powering the 50 drone motors on what Sripol calls the “world’s sketchiest electric paramotor” are duct-taped onto the apparatus because there wasn’t time to build the mounts. Thankfully, Sripol doesn’t jump off a cliff to test out his creation.

Also read: What Mavic 3 can do in the hands of a real pro

And hey, the batteries do succeed in doing their job, even if the run-time is limited to five minutes. That said, it takes a special kind of fortitude to sit through the screeching sound of 50 drone motors at your back.

In the video, Sripol shows off multiple test flights with varying degrees of success. There’s one where one of the drone engines stops working and the paramotor wouldn’t take off, possibly also because of weight limit issues. In another test flight, a motor starts to fall off in mid-air because some screws have come loose and an emergency landing has to be made.

Overall, though, Sripol’s creative genius shines above everything else. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy his ingenuity:

Read more: In a world-first, two guys compete in flying racing cars

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Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.


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