---
title: "3D printed supercapacitor plane flies for 45 seconds off a four second long charge"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/3d-printed-supercapacitor-plane-flies-for-45-seconds-off-a-four-second-long-charge/
date: 2026-04-18
modified: 2026-04-18
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "British engineer Tom Stanton has built a 3D printed fixed-wing aircraft weighing 15.6 grams, and which is powered by a single 10 farad supercapacitor charged via a hand crank generator...."
categories:
  - "Aerospace AM"
  - "Drones/UAV"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tom-Stanton-drone-01-640x400.jpg
word_count: 280
---

# 3D printed supercapacitor plane flies for 45 seconds off a four second long charge

British engineer Tom Stanton has built a 3D printed fixed-wing aircraft weighing 15.6 grams, and which is [powered by a single 10 farad supercapacitor](https://www.voxelmatters.com/kth-researchers-3d-print-glass-micro-supercapacitors-mscs/) charged via a hand crank generator. Stanton achieved 45 seconds of flight from approximately four seconds of winding.

The design involves printing wing rib structures directly onto tissue paper fixed to a magnetic build plate, bonding the skeleton and covering. The fuselage spine is made up of a carbon fiber rod, with friction-fit printed components securing the wing and tail assembly. 

An unmodified glider version of the airframe weighed 3.8 grams and outperformed a folded paper airplane in direct comparison testing. The powered version used a brushed micro motor typical of small toy quadcopters, with an enlarged propeller to compensate for the supercapacitor's 2.7-volt output. An analog voltmeter between the generator and capacitor prevented overcharging.

https://youtu.be/-4X6KYlQ7YQ?si=H6oa9C-7TrWTS-f4

Stanton's analysis of single-cell supercapacitors identified 10 farads as the optimal trade-off between energy density and weight. A 100 farad cell offered six times the energy density of a 1 farad cell but weighed 20 grams — too heavy for the airframe — while the 10 farad unit's approximate 3 gram mass hit the efficiency sweet spot.

An early long-chord wing failed in flight due to insufficient torsional stiffness, folding upward under aerodynamic load. A revised, shorter-chord, higher aspect ratio design reduced twisting moments by moving the center of pressure closer to the structural center. 

Tissue paper covering proved moisture-sensitive; at -2°C (28°F), absorbed mist caused the wing to lose structural integrity by the third flight attempt.

[The US Army recently developed the force’s first National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliant 3D printed drone in-house, under the project name HANX](https://www.voxelmatters.com/us-marine-corps-develops-its-first-ndaa-approved-3d-printed-drone/).