3D printed plane flies

Students from the School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics at Tongji University Saturday flew a miniature airplane created by a 3D printer, local media reported Monday.

The 26-centimeter-long airplane was the first of its kind in China, according to a report in the Oriental Morning Post.

Made of polylactic acid, the plane weighed 18 grams during its flight.

The plane has a wing span of 28 centimeters. It was equipped with a 3-gram lithium battery and a 6-millimeter brush motor. Students controlled the airplane with an infrared remote control.