Totally Hooked! How to Build and Fly the Paper Cup Gyro Plane That Got a 15-Year-Old Obsessed
Ken Kuwako, science trainer, here. Every day is an experiment!
Wrap a rubber band around a paper cup, let it go, and whoosh! Did you know the cup spins as it flies and sails along in a perfectly straight line? No wings, no propeller, yet a humble paper cup flies like an airplane. The secret behind it is the same science that keeps spinning tops and Frisbees stable.
A Ninth-Grade Elective: “Science Communication”
At our school, we offer an elective for ninth graders (the third year of junior high) called “Science Communication.” In this course, students learn how to explain science in a way everyone can understand, through activities like these:
- Making science posters and displaying them around the school
- Creating YouTube Shorts to figure out how to make videos that make learning science fun
Today I’d like to share the “Paper Cup Gyro Plane” that came out of those activities.
A How-To Video Made by the Students
The students in the course made this how-to video all by themselves. Take a look!
How to Make a Paper Cup Gyro Plane
It’s super easy to make. All you need is a rubber band, two paper cups, and some cellophane tape.
Take the two paper cups and tape them together bottom to bottom.
Knot three rubber bands together to make one long band.
Wind the rubber band around the cups, then let them fly!
The best part of this craft is that all you do is wind up the rubber band, and the cups spin and fly along steadily.
Why Does Spinning Make It Fly Straight?
The star of this little plane is spin. As the rubber band unwinds and shoots off, it sets the paper cups spinning.
Anything that’s spinning tends to keep its axis of rotation pointing in the same direction. This is called the “gyro effect,” and the faster the spin, the harder it is to change the direction of that axis.
A cup that isn’t spinning gets pushed around by the air and wobbles all over the place, so it can’t fly straight. But a spinning cup holds its direction, so it glides forward without wobbling.
Spin-Powered Stability All Around You
The same idea shows up in lots of everyday things.
- Spinning tops: A top stays upright as long as it’s spinning, but once it slows down, over it goes.
- Frisbees: Give a Frisbee a good spin when you throw it, and it flies steadily and far.
- American footballs: A quarterback throws the ball with a spiral so that its nose stays pointed in the direction it’s traveling.
“Spin it, and it stays stable.” This simple principle is at work everywhere, from paper cups to sports to vehicles.
Try It at Home!
All you need are paper cups and rubber bands, and you can make one in no time. Once you’ve built yours, try these experiments too:
- What happens to the flight if you change how many times you wind the rubber band?
- What happens if you launch it without winding the rubber band around it?
- What if you change the number of rubber bands or the size of the cups?
If you change just one thing at a time and compare the results, it becomes a real science experiment. One more thing: when you launch it, aim away from people and pets, and keep an eye on your surroundings while you have fun!
I hope this video made by my students gives you a chance to experience the wonder of science with everyday materials. Be sure to check out this other video too. It’s a Short about a Paper Cup Gyro Rocket, made by a different group of students.
Contact and Requests
Science is more fun and closer to you than you think! I collect easy science experiments you can do at home, along with tips for making them work. Have a look around and search for whatever interests you!
・The content of Kagaku no Neta-chō (my science ideas blog) has been published as a book! Details are here.
・Learn more about Ken Kuwako, the author of this site, here.
・For all kinds of requests (writing, lectures, science workshops, TV supervision and appearances, and more), please click here.
・Get article updates on X!
Kagaku no Neta Channel (Science Idea Channel): experiment videos streaming now!
９月のイチオシ実験！
テレビ番組監修・イベント等のお知らせ
- ９月25日（金）21:00〜 かまいたちの瞬間回答！にて、科学監修を行いました。
- １０月１０日（土）11:15~12:00 千葉市科学フェスタ2026「桑子先生の回転科学ショー」にてサイエンスショーを行います。
- 12月26日（土） ナリカサイエンスアカデミー（教員向け実験講習会）開催
書籍のお知らせ
- 『高校入試 分解問題集 理科』（学研）…難しい問題も小さな問題に分解することで、問題を解くことができます。そんな分解の技術が身につくように深く関わりを持って作りました。
『大人のための高校物理復習帳』（講談社）…一般向けに日常の物理について公式を元に紐解きました。特設サイトでは実験を多数紹介しています。※増刷がかかり６刷となりました（2026/02/01）
- 『きめる!共通テスト 物理基礎 改訂版』（学研）… 高校物理の参考書です。イラストを多くしてイメージが持てるように描きました。授業についていけない、物理が苦手、そんな生徒におすすめです。特設サイトはこちら。
各種SNS（更新情報をお届け！）
【日本語】X(Twitter)／instagram／Facebook 【英語】BlueSky／Threads
Explore
- 楽しい実験…お子さんと一緒に夢中になれるイチオシの科学実験を多数紹介しています。また、高校物理の理解を深めるための動画教材も用意しました。
- 理科の教材… 理科教師をバックアップ！授業の質を高め、準備を効率化するための選りすぐりの教材を紹介しています。
- Youtube…科学実験等の動画を配信しています。
- 科学ラジオ …科学トピックをほぼ毎日配信中！AI技術を駆使して作成した「耳で楽しむ科学」をお届けします。
- 講演 …全国各地で実験講習会・サイエンスショー等を行っています。
- About …「科学のネタ帳」のコンセプトや、運営者である桑子研のプロフィール・想いをまとめています。
- お問い合わせ …実験教室のご依頼、執筆・講演の相談、科学監修等はこちらのフォームからお寄せください。
