Kid + Determination = Wings!

• Theo Squires, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2007

I looked at the technician’s face.
“Do you think it will work?” I asked eagerly, pointing at the designs and materials. Carbon Fiber, Nylon 6 and hydrogen fuel cells.
“Kid, why not?” the technician smiled.

* * *

This is my story. It began with an idea. Wings. Yeah, wings. After nights of flying in dreams, I knew I wanted to really fly. I decided that flying was worth all my money, that flying was everything.
Brothers and friends called me a dreamer, but I had already started researching. It took days to truly understand how the wing of a bird worked. I based my first designs on the wing of a Hawk. Next I had to decide what materials to use. By then end of a week’s research, two materials stood out. Nylon 6 – strong, resistant, flexible. Carbon Fiber – light, strong. Here’s how I did it.

* * *

“Mum, I’ve bin’ researching, ‘n’ found that it’s possible to fly with artificial wings!”
She sighed, “Theo, you’ve been spending far too long on this, when you should be studying, or reading a good book!”
“I finished Harry Potter a few days ago, and it was rated the best series ever!” I replied as I fled from the room, toward the computer. The precious internet, where I could research. WinWord, where I could write my ideas. Wings3D, where I could make 3D models.
But my brother, Stephen was already there, using MSN and iTunes. I bolted to my room, pulled out my pencils and started drawing designs based on my research.

* * *

Another week slipped by. Now I had made a scale model. It was powered by a single battery, measured four centimeters, and was made of my chosen wing materials. It had cost $50, 1/10 of my budget. I had devised three tests. It was attached to a plastic soldier. I turned it on and the smalls wings beat as fast as they could, lifting the soldier into the air! Yes! It fluttered around the attic. The second test was to tuck the wings in for a dive. It fell fast, then the wings came out, lifting the figure up, only millimeters from death. Success! For the third test I turned on the fan. The model was thrust away, spiraling out of control. Failure.

* * *

After many more tests, and design changes, the model could do perfect acrobatics, succeeding in all tests. Now to the real thing. I had $400 left to spend on materials. Buying them from an online store, I got them cheap. I assembled them and called a technician. He wired it up, I put on the wings. I pressed the ON button on the controller. I rose from the backyard, my cat amazed! I laughed, and the wireless controller slipped from my grasp. It landed with a thud on the cat. I came tumbling down into our fish pond. Wet, but unharmed. The technician smiled, and left.