Xyla Foxlin

Xyla Foxlin Mechatronics engineer, pilot & Cessna 140 owner, woodworker, and creator of chaos. Currently building a Pietenpol Airplane 👩🏻‍🔧👸🏻🦝 Biz Inq: [email protected]
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Xyla Foxlin is an award-winning mechatronics engineer turned YouTube creator who uses her knack for visual storytelling to share the creativity and joy of engineering with the world. She specializes in long-form content and her YouTube channel has amassed over 22 million views, 3 million watch hours, and 400k subscribers in just three years. It features a blend of technical skill, craftsmanship, a

nd art- everything from proving impossible physics demonstrations to constructing a livable camper in just a few weeks, to high power rocketry and organic chemistry. Xyla is an avid supporter of women in STEM initiatives, including working with AAAS as an IF/THEN ambassador, where a full size statue of Xyla was exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum during women's history month. Prior to YouTube, she was the founder and executive director of the Beauty and the Bolt 501c3 nonprofit organization, whose program has taught over 13,000 kids to use their first powertool and reached over 100,000 students in classrooms. When she left the organization, Reinvented Magazine took over all of Beauty and the Bolt’s programming. Her college invention turned tech startup, Parihug, was 178% funded on Kickstarter. As a teenage founder and CEO she raised over $200k in preseed VC funding, and has been featured in the New York Times, The Verge, Mashable, Google Made with Code, and more. Xyla has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in General Engineering with a concentration in Mechatronics and Creative Technology with a minor in Studio Art from Case Western Reserve University. She is a AAAS IF/THEN ambassador, and has been named Cleveland’s Most Interesting People 2017, Crain’s Notable Women in Technology and 20 in their 20s, and was the featured engineer in Microsoft’s international Surface Laptop ad campaign. She was crowned Miss Greater Cleveland 2018 in the Miss America program. She lives in Los Angeles where she is the proud owner and pilot of a 1946 Cessna 140 that she flies in her free time. She also loves backpacking or camping in her homebuilt teardrop, climbing large mountains, and salsa dancing.

09/09/2026

Lumber to AIRWORTHY PROPELLER in 1 minute

09/09/2026

Ok, so whilst this project mostly turned out great, it did take a little longer than a weekend, and there's a few things I would change if I was to do this again.

Firstly, the door is kind of a pain to get in and out where it is. If you plan on making this, maybe move the door to one of the side walls and install it forward of the wheels instead. This could also save you money on a window - you could get away with a door on one side and a window on the other, or even a window on the back).

Secondly, I’d spend more time trying to find a trailer that isn't the Harbor Freight one, the axle is just really annoyingly far forward.

And lastly, my first revision of this design had plywood cabinets in the front two feet of the interior. This would be a convenient place to store your clothes, etc while camping. I nixed them because of the $1000 constraint, but if you're willing to spend an extra $100 on plywood it would absolutely be worth it.

Has anyone else made their own camper!?

09/08/2026

In honor of missing the red carpet at the Webby awards this summer and then being out of town when the mailed award finally arrived, I pulled a little “but we have webbys at home!”

What an honor to be recognized as the Social Impact Creator of the Year by The Webby Awards for my advocacy work on behalf of Pilot Mental Health Campaign campaign. I share this with Long Haul Films for their exceptional storytelling of the work we’ve done. And what great timing as the Mental Health in Aviation Act and Aviation Medication Transparency Act make their way through the Senate!!

The Webbys famously have the 5 word acceptance speech, and my submission was “Be fearless enough to speak”. Something I’ve lost a lot of sleep over in the last year is trying to come up with was to inspire other creators to use their platforms for good and speak up for what they believe in, despite the fear of pushback or rejection from our audiences. My team and I have for sure gotten lots of hate and pushback for this campaign, but the day the MHAA gets signed into law it’ll all be worth it 🎉

09/08/2026

Cedar-stripping my airplane with my uncle Peter weee

09/08/2026

For those new here: Spite is an all carbon fiber, minimum diameter, 75mm rocket that is flying an M2080 skidmark at Mach 2.2 to 23k feet. She pulled 34Gs off the rail and was recovered less than a mile away- flew straight as an arrow and deployed main at 200m 🚀

You know what you don’t see enough of at the Met Gala? Dresses inspired by wooden furniture. Check out the full video vi...
09/07/2026

You know what you don’t see enough of at the Met Gala? Dresses inspired by wooden furniture.

Check out the full video via the link in comments

09/05/2026

Ok, so did I achieve my goal of building a PMF trailer in one weekend? If you believe the weekend ends on Tuesday, then sure.

09/04/2026

Did I manage to build the most adorable, retro-insipred teardrop camper? Yes.

Did I manage build the entire thing in one weekend?
Look, I tried, ok?

My Pietenpol airplane is coming together and this time… you’re gonna see me build a tailfeather. Full video link in comm...
09/03/2026

My Pietenpol airplane is coming together and this time… you’re gonna see me build a tailfeather. Full video link in comments.

09/02/2026

Can I build a foamy campervan for under $1000 in just one weekend? Let’s find out.

Address

643 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
90069

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