Aviation-Style Balcony Windmill

I designed this small balcony or garden windmill as a playful aviation-themed decoration for flowerpots. The spinner in the front is shaped like the turbine blades of a jet engine fan, while the back part is modeled after the tail section of an Airbus fuselage with vertical stabilizer.

In the fin there’s a hole where you can either insert a blank logo plate to customize with your favorite airline, or use the Airbus logo I prepared. The Airbus logo comes in two parts that are printed separately, glued together, and then slotted in for a clean surface finish.

For assembly you’ll need one M6x50 screw, two M6 nuts, eight M3 nuts, eight M3x12 (or a little longer, not shorter) screws, and a ball bearing (outerØ 20-22 mm; innerØ 6mm for M6 Srew ). The windmill is mounted on a rod with an M6 threaded bar inside for extra stability. To balance it, simply fill some sand or sugar into the cavity at the back. I used around 350 g and it spins smoothly even without a bearing between the body and the rod.

Place the ball bearing between the “teller oben" and ”teller unten".

1. Attach the “teller oben" and ”teller unten" (with the bearing inside) to the fan (front part).
   – Use M3 screws and M3 nuts to fix the plates with the bearing firmly to the fan.
2. Insert the second M6 nut between the lower plate and the final M6 screw as a spacer.
   – This ensures the correct gap so only the bearing rotates, while the M6 screw itself remains fixed.
3. Position the fan assembly onto the tail section (fin part).
   – From the outside, insert the M6 screw through the spinner cap and into the fan and fin.
   – Tighten it against the spacer nut so the assembly has the proper clearance.
4. Important: leave out the small front tip of the spinner, so you can insert an Allen key (Inbus) through the opening and tighten the M6 screw properly.
5. Finally, check that the fan spins freely on the bearing without rubbing and that all M3/M6 screws and nuts are secure.

To ensure durability outdoors, I recommend printing in ASA for UV resistance. PETG or other materials can also be used, but keep in mind that PLA will fade and weaken over time in sunlight.
I also added a pause in the print so that one of the two M6 nuts can be inserted during the process. You’ll need to check the slicer preview to know exactly where to pause and place the nut.