How to Make a Flying Crank Ghost Prop: Complete Materials & Rigging Guide

A motorized flying crank ghost (FCG)—originally popularized by haunter Doug Ferguson—uses a low-RPM rotisserie or display motor, an offset crank arm, and a multi-pulley suspension rig to create smooth, bobbing, undulating movement for an ethereal flying apparition.

Tools and Materials

Drive Mechanism and Frame

• Motor: 120V AC low-speed gear motor (5–6 RPM), such as a heavy-duty barbecue rotisserie motor or a synchron mirror-ball motor.
• Mounting base/frame: 1×2 pine furring strips or lightweight aluminum flat stock (approx. 24″ × 36″ rectangle with cross-bracing).
• Crank arm: 1/8″ aluminum flat bar (approx. 8–10″ long) or a heavy-duty servo/sprocket arm.
• Connecting hardware: Machine screws, washers, locking nuts, and a 1/4″ bolt (with bushings or locknuts) to act as a free-spinning drive peg at the tip of the crank arm.

Rigging and Pulleys

• Pulleys: 4 small swivel eye pulleys (1″ to 1.5″ diameter wheels).
• Line: 50–80 lb braided monofilament or high-test Dacron fishing line (black or clear to stay invisible).
• Hardware: Small screw eyes, cotter pins or split rings, and zip ties.

Ghost Figure

• Head: Hollow foam mannequin head or lightweight cast skull (keep weight under 6–8 oz).
• Shoulder/Torso support: 12–14″ piece of 1/2″ PVC pipe, a 1/2″ PVC cross or tee fitting, and heavy 9-gauge galvanized wire or wire coat hangers for arms.
• Hands: Lightweight foam or wire-and-paper-mache skeletal hands.
• Shroud: 6–8 yards of fine white cheesecloth or bridal tulle/gauze.
• Lighting: Blacklight reactive laundry detergent (blued with optical brighteners) or white UV-reactive fabric dye, plus a 395nm–365nm UV LED floodlight or blacklight tube.

1. Build the Rigging Frame

The frame acts as the overhead chassis suspended above your display area (attic rafters, porch ceiling, or outdoor arbor).

1. Assemble a T- or Cross-Frame: Construct a sturdy 1×2 wooden frame shaped like a broad “T” or cross.
   • Center beam: 36″ long.
   • Front cross-spar: 24″ to 30″ wide (this sets the spread between the ghost’s left and right hands).
2. Mount the Three Suspension Pulleys:
   • Install Pulley A (Left Hand): At the far left tip of the front cross-spar.
   • Install Pulley B (Right Hand): At the far right tip of the front cross-spar.
   • Install Pulley C (Head): Centered on the main beam, about 4–6 inches back from the front cross-spar.
3. Mount the Motor: Secure the gear motor toward the back of the center beam (about 20–24 inches behind the head pulley). Ensure the drive axle faces downward or forward depending on the motor casing, allowing clear 360-degree rotation without striking the wood frame.

2. Fabricate the Crank Arm

The crank arm converts rotary motion into linear stroke.

1. Cut the Arm: Cut an aluminum flat bar to 9 inches. Drill a hole at one end sized to clamp securely onto the motor output shaft.
2. Drill Stroke Adjustments: Drill three 1/4″ holes along the arm at distances of 5″, 6.5″, and 8″ from the motor center. These allow you to adjust the vertical travel distance (an 8″ radius produces a 16″ vertical bobbing stroke).
3. Mount the Drive Eye / Peg: Bolt an eye-bolt or a smooth standoff bolt with nylon washers into your chosen stroke hole. Ensure it can pivot or that the lines can slide cleanly over it without binding.
4. Install the Guide Pulley (Pulley D): Fasten a fourth swivel pulley to the frame directly behind the crank circle. This keeps the pulling lines aligned as the arm sweeps around.

3. Build the Lightweight Ghost Form

Keeping the ghost feather-light is critical to eliminate motor strain and prevent jerky stops.

1. Armature:
   • Connect a 12″ horizontal piece of 1/2″ PVC to a center vertical nipple using a PVC tee.
   • Feed bendable wire through the horizontal PVC pipe extending out 14″ on each side to create posable arm skeletons.
   • Secure lightweight skeletal hands to the wire ends.
2. Head Attachment:
   • Hollow out the bottom base of the foam head so it drops onto the vertical stem of the PVC tee, or insert a wooden dowel through the skull top.
   • Screw a tiny metal eyelet directly into the top crown of the head.
3. Drapery:
   • Cut cheesecloth into varying strips of 4 to 6 feet. Shred the bottom hems with scissors or a wire brush to create ragged, tattered edges.
   • Soak the cheesecloth in water mixed with a splash of liquid laundry detergent containing optical brighteners (like Tide Original), or liquid RIT Whitener/Brightener. Let it air dry completely.
   • Drape the fabric in multiple layered veils over the head and shoulders, using hot glue sparingly at contact points so the fabric still catches minor air currents.

4. Rig the Triple-Line Suspension System

To create the illusion of independent floating, the hands and head must rise and fall with differing strokes.

1. Attach Line Anchor Points:
   • Line 1 (Head): Tie fishing line to the eyelet on top of the ghost’s skull.
   • Line 2 (Left Hand): Tie fishing line to the left wrist/hand loop.
   • Line 3 (Right Hand): Tie fishing line to the right wrist/hand loop.
2. Route the Lines Through the Pulleys:
   • Run Line 1 up through Pulley C (Head).
   • Run Line 2 up through Pulley A (Left Hand).
   • Run Line 3 up through Pulley B (Right Hand).
3. Bring Lines to the Crank:
   • Feed all three lines through Pulley D (Guide Pulley) at the rear.
   • Tie the three free line ends together onto the drive peg/bolt of the rotating crank arm.
4. Calibrate Movement Offset:
   • Rotate the crank arm to its highest position.
   • Adjust the line lengths so the hands rise slightly higher than the head, or stagger the knots by 2 inches. This prevents the prop from moving like a rigid block and creates an organic, sweeping motion where the hands reach upward just as the head tilts back.

5. Final Setup and Lighting

1. Counterbalance / Ballast: If the line sags or slips off the pulley wheels on the downward stroke, tape small lead fishing sinkers inside the base of the hollow skull and PVC torso pipe until gravity smoothly pulls the lines taut as the arm descends.
2. Mounting: Hang the assembled rig securely out of sight—behind an upper-story window, behind dark scrim/fabric, or inside an overhead shelter.
3. Lighting Setup: Place your UV blacklight flood low and angled upward at the front of the ghost. Ensure no direct white ambient street lighting spills onto the rig, keeping the lines, frame, and motor invisible in the shadows while the treated cheesecloth glows.

Operational Verification Checklist

• [ ] Crank arm clears all structural frame screws and electrical wiring through a full 360° test rotation.
• [ ] Swivel pulleys swing freely to self-align with line vectors without binding against the mounting timber.
• [ ] Fishing line knots are locked with a drop of cyanoacrylate (super glue) to avoid loosening under cyclic tension.
• [ ] Total hanging ghost weight is balanced to stay within the continuous torque rating of the motor (typically under 2.5 lbs total suspended load).
• [ ] Blacklight is positioned so the beam does not illuminate the overhead suspension wires or ceiling rafters.

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