Make a Paper Airplane

You don’t have to be a Wright brother to make your own airplane. All you need is a piece of paper and a moment when your teacher isn’t looking. To make a paper airplane, try one of the methods below.

 

Standard Airplane

1. Fold a standard piece of printer paper (typically 8.5 by 11 inches) in half vertically and crease.
   
   
2. Open up the paper so that the crease is vertical and fold the top two outer corners inwards so that they meet along the middle crease.
   
   
3. Fold the point made in the previous step down to the crease so that the flaps are tucked under this fold. Now the paper should look somewhat like the back of an envelope.
   
   
4. Fold the two top corners created in the previous step to the center crease so that the points are about 2/3 of the way down the center crease flap.
   
   
5. Fold up the point that has been covered in the previous step so that it secures the flaps against the crease.
   
   
6. Fold the paper in half (along the vertical crease you created in Step 1) so that all the folds made in the previous steps are facing outwards. The small triangular fold is now along what will later be the bottom of the plane.
   
   
7. Fold both side flaps down to the bottom so that the wings are perfectly aligned with the bottom of the airplane.
   
   
8. Unfold the wings slightly so that they are perpendicular to the body of the airplane and form a flat surface next to each other.
   
   
9. Test fly your airplane. Start with a gentle toss to see how your plane glides through the air. Experiment with more aggressive throws to see how high and far your plane will travel.
   
   
   

Other Airplanes

1. For airplanes that make special movements, try:
   • How to Make a Flapping Paper Airplane
     
     
   • How to Make a Boomerang Airplane
     
     
   • How to Make a Trick Paper Airplane
     
     
   • How to Make a Paper Airplane That Does Loop De Loops
     
     
2. For airplanes that are extra fast, try:
   • How to Make a Fast Paper Airplane
     
     
   • How to Make a Really Fast Paper Airplane
     
     
3. For airplanes that have special shapes, try:
   • How to Make a Delta Wing Paper Airplane
     
     
   • How to Make a Dart Paper Airplane
     
     

• If your airplane does not fly well, experiment with taping the wings together. You could also try a very small amount of glue.
• Make the airplane fly up or down by pinching the ends of the wings. Pinch up to make the airplane fly down. Pinch down to make a paper the airplane fly up.
• Dont throw in front of someones face plzzz.
• Fly it on a hot day from a high place. Your plane will catch thermals and cover a longer distance.
• If you would like your airplane to be precise and neat, you could use a protactor for the angles when folding. This isn't necessary however, and you should try this after some practice because it may frustrate you on your first time. It is quite difficult getting a perfect 90 degrees on Step 2, for example.
• Try many different air plane designs and find the one that works best for you.
• Make your plane more thin to make it faster.
• This particular airplane works best when thrown gently. Don't heave it as hard as you can.
• Use a ruler, fingernail, or credit card to make the creases extra crisp.
• Try to through the airplane at different angles, speeds and heights.