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Let‘s make an airplane!

I‘ll bet you didn‘t think that you were going to have to know all of this stuff in order to make a great paper airplane. It isn‘t all about folding and throwing and then hoping that your airplane flies. Chances are if you have been building your airplanes that way, you haven‘t had much success.

These are the tools that the best paper airplane-makers in the world use to hone their craft. You should use them too, it is only going to make your experience better and your airplanes fly further and faster.

This is the paper airplane my dad and I used to build. I don‘t have pictures, but I can tell you how to make it œ it‘s pretty simple.

• Fold an 8.5“ x 11“ piece of paper in half, length way.

• Bring the top right and top left corners down to the crease in the middle. Make sure you get it right the first time because all of the extra creases affect the flight.

• You should have a plane that looks like this so far:

• When you have your plane like this, you will have angled corners. Take those angles and fold them into the center crease as well.

• Then take the point of the airplane and fold it about halfway down.

• Fold the airplane along the center crease again, and keep it in that position until the next step.

• For the wings, you need to remember to make them equal on both sides. You have the choice of making them wide or narrow œ just make them equal on each side. Fold them down and match them up below the airplane hold.

Voila, you have my favorite airplane. You can add all sorts of variation with flaps and outside wing folds that can make this a straight-flying airplane or a circus performer.

3.) The Sabertooth

1. Start with an 8.5" x 11" sheet of photocopy paper. Fold in half lengthwise (try to make all folds as exact as possible), then open back out.

2. Fold the usual triangles.

3. Fold over to the right.

4. Flip over, fold the triangles again.

Flip back.

1. Fold over to the right again.

2. Flip over.
   1. OK, this part is a bit tricky. Tuck your index finger (finger #2) under the black dot as far as you can. Keeping your finger there, push with your thumb along the red arrow. You should see the nose (or "tooth") start to come out along the blue

   2. arrow. Make a fold along the dotted line, to make it look like picture 8. Repeat the same for the other "tooth".
3. This is the top view.

4. Fold along the black & red lines to get the final result. The wingtips should be 1.5 cm (9/16 inch) wide and the fold should be parallel to the edge. Angle the red lines slightly outwards at the tail (about 3 degrees), and the plane will tend to fly upwards. If you do it correctly, you won't need to bother with ailerons, flaps, etc. To make it turn, just lean the body one way or the other. Have fun!

The Sabertooth has been around for over 30 years, and is one of the most popular basic airplane models you can build. This one is called the Sabertooth because it does have some sharp teeth œ which can hurt if they hit something œ so be careful when you are throwing it.

4.) The easiest paper airplane

This is one of the most unique paper airplanes, and it is also one of the most simple. Have you ever seen the type of paper airplane that has just one long, slender piece down the middle, with two circles of paper on each end? It is just like the airplane being thrown on page 12.

It is one of the best fliers, if made properly. Give it a try œ here are the instructions.

• Find two solid, round objects, one of them bigger than the other. A can of soup and an aerosol can will work well.

• Cut two strips of paper 1“ wide. Wrap them around each of the round objects you are using. Tape the strips of paper so they are tight around the objects. Cut the excess off.

• Cut a strip of paper lengthwise from a piece of 8.5“ x 11“, about 1.5“ wide. This paper should be at least a 24-pound bond œ whatever you choose it should be a slightly heavier bond than the circle papers.

• Attach the circle pieces to the long piece œ one at the back and one at the front œ with the circle pieces on their wide edge side.

• Be careful not to expend too much tape on this airplane. You don‘t want to weight it down. One piece for each circle is probably just fine. If you use more, you need to make sure the amount of tape you use on each side is as close to the same as possible.

• Toss it with a nice even throw and it will glide for a long time.

5.)The Whirlybird

This one might not exactly qualify as an airplane, but it sure is a fun one to send through the air. If you don‘t know yet which type of paper airplane I am talking about, this one is more like a helicopter.

You can print this page out and use the pattern we have included here to make this airplane. We also have included instruction for how to get this one in the air.

• Cut on the solid lines, and fold on the dotted lines.

• Fold flap A toward you, and flap B away from you. No more than 90 degree folds.

• Flaps C and D should be folded with one over the other, so they are overlapping œ creating a strong stem for the whirly.
  • Fold upward on the bottom dotted

  • line and use a paper clip to hold that fold up. The paper clip also acts as a weight to bring the whirly down.
• To throw this one, hold it by the paper clip and toss it high into the air. It will spin all the way down to the ground.

Note: It is a fun game to have a chalk circle about two feet in diameter and see if you and your friends can have a contest to see who can get it closest to the middle.

6.) The floater

This one is best used indoors because it can be taken quite easily by the wind. If you do decide to use it outside, make sure you fly it on a day that has very little wind.

It is fairly simple to make the floater if you follow the instructions.

• Use a standard 8.5“ x 11“ piece of paper and fold it in half by it‘s length.
  • Fold one flap two-thirds across the other side as shown in the next diagram.

  • • Do the same thing with the other side as shown in the next
• Fold the overhanging flap into the plane and then fold in half

• Flip the plane over and fold the nose of the plane halfway

• Crease along all of the lines shown in the diagram. Make sure that all of the creases and folds are even and symmetrical otherwise this plane isn‘t going to float as smooth as it should. Take your time and make the folds as shown in the diagram. Note: The side flaps should be folded downward.

• This is what the airplane should look like in the end.

When you fly this airplane, have the nose pointed slightly upward, and hold it just forward of its center of gravity.

This is a great beginner airplane to learn on because there are plenty of folds, but they aren‘t too difficult.