Swappable Pizza Box Flyer

The Pizza Box Flyer is probably the simplest scratch build ever designed. It's composed of a square airframe, a vertical stabilizer and elevons. There isn't much too it. I built mine in a half hour.

The whole ends up being greater than the sum of the parts, though, because your minimal investment of time and materials will produce a nimble, quirky little sport flyer that you will never tire of. Fly combat with them, pylon race, flip it inverted and see if you can cut the weeds... this little guy is pure, expendable fun.

Designed (as far as I can tell) by Dave McDonald and his buddy John Peterson the PBF has been a staple of scratch builders since at least 2002. If you would like to see some of the creative mods people have made to it over the years I recommend checking out Leadfeather's version or Goldguy's mod at the "All Things Round" thread at RC Groups.

I've built and flown (and crashed) probably 10 of these over my lifetime. I always have one. Here's my all time favorite, piloted by Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, no less:

I used the PBF I built in the video as a promotion for my high school's aviation club. I asked parents and students to sign the plane (our own FT Signature Series model) and then I put a brochure in their hands. Everybody seemed to get a real kick out of it. I think we may have some new members.

I've included related links below. Use them to review how to build an FT style power pod and to get some instruction on elevons. The FT-22 video features a very good walk-through starting at around minute 9. 

I look forward to hearing from any new PBF converts I may make. Enjoy!