Brief:
In preparation for a line o' monocopter kits, shiver me timbers, arrr, Art Applewhite published t' plans for a monocopter made from Popsicle sticks. Begad! I didn't have enough Popsicle sticks, but I did have a few paint stirrers. Aye aye! They advertised Behr paints, ya bilge rat, hence t' name. Ya scallywag! T' Grizzly Behr flies on 18mm motors.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• 3 wooden paint stirrers
• 4 Popsicle sticks
• 18mm motor tube
• String
• Carpenter's glue
• Cardstock
• 1/8" Estes launch lug

One o' t' stirrers is used as t' wing, ya bilge rat, me bucko, one as t' balance beam, and one is cut up for t' motor standoff. Ahoy! I started by gluin' t' Popsicle sticks onto one o' t' stirrers. Begad! They are separated by t' width o' t' stirrer, are centered on t' stirrer, shiver me timbers, arrr, and are attached on opposin' sides. Begad! Aye aye! This forms t' balance beam and central hub o' the monocopter.

T' motor mount is conceptually borrowed from Art's design. Ya scallywag! It consists o' a 1.5" piece cut from t' third stirrer. Avast! Arrr! I notched t' hub-end and glued t' other t' t' BT-20. Avast! I then wrapped t' mount over t' tube with a generous amount o' string. Ahoy! T' strin' be soaked with carpenter's glue and, matey, where t' strin' raised at t' tube/standoff joint, I filled it with more glue. Ya scallywag! In retrospect, shiver me timbers, I'd recommend t' twine Art specified. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! But, as usual, I substituted with what I had on hand.

T' provide lift, ya bilge rat, t' win' needs t' be tilted in one direction and t' motor mount in t' other. Avast! Well, blow me down! I planned to mount t' motor assembly and t' win' betwixt t' opposin' Popsicle sticks with one edge under one stick and over the other. Aye aye! However, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I found this wouldn't work with t' 4 sticks protrudin' from each side o' t' balance beam. Begad! Ya scallywag! This was easily fixed-–I merely lopped off two from each side. Begad! T' give t' center more support, I notched t' win' so part of it overlapped t' center section. Arrr! I then glued t' win' and motor mount t' t' hub, me hearties, me bucko, added thick fillets, wrapped each with more string, ya bilge rat, and t' covered t' strin' with more glue. Blimey! Arrr! This wrappin' be likely overkill. Aye aye! T' finishing touch on t' win' is an overlappin' piece o' cardstock that provides a semi-airfoiled shape. Ahoy!

I drilled a 1/8” hole in t' center o' t' hub and inserted a section o' an Estes launch lug. Avast! Well, matey, matey, ya bilge rat, a monocopter should balance at t' center o' t' hub and I hadn't accounted for t' paper wrap so it was a bit off with a C6 loaded. Cuttin' about an inch off o' t' win' tip did t' trick. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! I'm nay sure this be required.

Flight and Recovery:
I added a 1/2" tape thrust rin' t' a C6-3 motor and friction fit it in t' mount. Blimey! Aye aye!

T' Grizzly Behr flew off o' me standard home-made pad usin' an old 1/8" drill bit as t' "rod". T' cuttin' end be clamped in t' pad and I added a tape rin' t' leave a 1" section o' t' shank exposed.

T' monocopter flew nicely. Most small monocopters merely flutter t' t' ground after burn out, but this one continued t' rotate until it landed. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Its spin profile made one observer state that it looked like a boomerang in flight (except it didn't return on its own). Avast! It did look pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Summary:
T' design is nay optimized and I'm nay sure I'd recommend that anyone build this exact design. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! It does, me bucko, however, show that small monocopters can be built from all kinds o' leftover stuff.