Forget Everything You Know

About Making Paper Airplanes

And Start Making Some
Really COOL Paper Airplanes!

By John M. White, ATP, BA, Mba

Cessna Citation, DC-3 Type Ratings

ThePaperAirplaneCompany.com
First, let me introduce myself to you. I am an Airline Transport Pilot
with several aircraft type ratings and have over 7,000 hours of flying
time. I met my wife while teaching her how to fly, and we own and
have owned a number of aircraft including a Piper J-3 Cub, several
Piper Warriors, a Piper Navajo and more.

I first became interested in flying when I was a young boy when I

went to a county fair and saw my first real airplane up close. I had
folded paper airplanes and done what so many have done, flown
them in class, at fellow students and teachers, and down long
hallways. I have built rockets and radio controlled airplanes and
helicopters, and have friends who are very involved in these
activities.

I flew for a corporation for seven years and managed a flight

operation consisting of a number of aircraft: 3 Douglas DC-3s, a
Turbo Commander, a Sabreliner and a Hawker Jet. The company I
flew for was in the insurance business and when I married I started
my own aviation insurance agency which I ran for 30 years and sold
in 2004.

I still fly paper airplanes, foam gliders, rubber band powered

airplanes, radio control airplanes and real airplanes to this day. I fly
the paper airplanes, foam gliders and rubber band airplanes with my
grand children, the radio control airplanes with my own children and
the real airplanes, of course, with my wife (who is also a pilot)!

So you can be confident that I know a lot about flying, aerodynamics

and aviation. That is why I have built this website and offer resources
for anyone interested in any aspect of aviation. I continue to develop
aviation businesses, and still actively fly real airplanes.

It is my hope that you share my love of aviation and flying, and if

these paper airplanes bring you some small pleasure then I will be
happy.

As you search the web you will find all kinds of paper airplane
websites, most with some instructions on how to fold a paper
airplane. In order to save you a little time I have included some of the
best paper airplanes I have been able to find in this document, but
first lets talk about the history of paper airplanes.

Paper airplanes have been around a long, long time. It is believed

that the use of paper to create toy airplanes began some 2,000 years
ago in China. The original paper airplanes were really kites because
the concept of flying machines (airplanes) had not come into
existence yet.

The Japanese developed an art of paper folding called origami, and

the creation of toy paper airplanes was called aerogami. These
folded models became very popular because they required only a
little piece of paper and a little skill to construct.

The earliest paper airplanes, or basic paper airplanes, would take

about six (6) steps to correctly complete. After the Second World
War those living in Eastern Europe and other poor countries began to
create paper model airplanes and other transportation devices such
as trains and ships, and these models were called card models.
This was due to the fact that those countries were not only poor, but
did not trade with the West and therefore more modern plastic
models were simply not available to them.

Today the art of creating paper airplane models continues, and young
people intrigued with airplanes, space and flying continue to learn
how to make various kinds of paper airplanes by folding sheets of
paper they can find and use. Who hasnt sat in a classroom and
seen a paper airplane fly across the room towards a teacher?

Some paper airplane models, also called card airplane models, are
so lifelike that they can compete with wood or plastic models in
appearance. These kinds of paper model airplanes have the
advantage that the paint scheme can be printed on the paper before
construction begins giving these paper model airplanes a realistic
look. If you have ever seen some of these models on display you
would be amazed at their appearance and not even realize that they
were paper until you picked them up! In fact the art of creating paper
models continues to this day.
In fact we offer some of the most unique and realistic paper airplanes
on this website, one of which you can see below.

Before you go on to see a selection of paper airplanes you can fly I

would like to make you an offer a free copy of the Piper J-3 Cub
airplane you see below. This model sells on our web site for $ 6.95
but you can get it for FREE simply by going to the following link or
clicking on the image and entering your first name and email address:

Download The Piper J-3 Cub Paper Airplane Model

I hate spam, and I will never sell or give any of your information to
any third party. I will send you occasional emails when I find another
paper airplane model I think you might be interested in, or some
special offers I think you might be interested in. If, at any time, you
do not wish to not receive any further information from me you can
simply click the link at the bottom of any email from me and you will
be removed from our my its that simple!
This list of paper airplane models starts with the easiest and moves
on to the more difficult ones.

A Simple Paper Airplane - Page 6

A Flapping Paper Airplane - Page 10

A Paper Helicopter - Page 16

A Delta Wing Paper Airplane - Page 20

The Cobra Paper Airplane - Page 24

The Classic Dart Paper Airplane - Page 29

The Edmonton Shadow Paper Airplane - Page 30

The Flying Fish Paper Airplane - Page 32

The Rapier Paper Airplane - Page 37

The Swallow Paper Airplane - Page 39

The Horizon Paper Airplane - Page 44

The J.A. Paper Airplane - Page 46

The Lunar Hawk Paper Airplane - Page 48

The Quasar Clipper Paper Airplane - Page 50

The Smasher Paper Airplane - Page 52

The Trigon Paper Airplane - Page 53

The Blue Angels Paper Airplane - Page 55

The Red Arrows Paper Airplane - Page 56

A Simple Paper Airplane:

1.

Fold a standard piece of printer paper (typically 8.5 by 11 inches) vertically in

half and crease.

2.

Open up the paper so that the crease is pointing up and fold two adjacent
corners to 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 this should look somewhat like the back of an
envelope.
4.

Note where points meet crease, 2/3 away from folded edge

Fold the two corners created by 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 at the green line, where the edges of the point meet the edges of the fold

Fold from the green outline to the purple outline

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 airplane in half so that all the folds made in the previous steps
are facing outwards.

7.

The top, slanted edge (yellow) should meet the bottom, horizontal edge (also
yellow) by folding along the green line

Fold the wings 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.

Test fly to get the feeling of how to throw the airplane by starting rather gently so that
it glides along in the air, then experiment with medium to hard throws, and you will find
that it flies very well indeed!

If your airplane does not fly well, tape the wings together but don't use too much - you
don't want to throw off the balance of the airplane. You could also try a very small
amount of glue.

Fly it on a hot day from a high place: it will catch thermals and cover a longer distance.

This paper airplane works best when thrown gently so don't throw it as hard as you
can.
A Flapping Paper Airplane:

1. Start with a sheet of paper.

2. Fold diagonally in order to create a square.

3. Cut or tear off the excess paper.

4. Now you have a square.

5. Create creases along the diagonals.

6. Push in the sides.

7. Collapse to form a triangle.

8. Unfold the left side.

9. Fold the side down.

10. Unfold the flap you just folded on step nine, then fold a new, smaller flap.

11. Refold along flap created in step nine.

12. Flip the small flap up.

13. Repeat steps 9-12 on opposite side, then fold the wings up.
14. Turn the flapper right side up.

15. Now, to fold the front end...

16. Place a small coin into one of the two slots at the front of the plane.

17. Fold the right flap over the two slots (one of which has a penny/small coin in it)
and tuck inside.
18. Fold other flap over previous flaps.

19. Tape flap to plane.

20. To fly the flapper, hold it in front and throw hard for optimal flapping.
A Paper Helicopter:

This is how to make a paper helicopter. When you drop this helicopter from your hand it
will slowly spin and fall until it reaches the floor.

You may have to cut the wings, so they are thinner or thicker, to get the best flight. You
can bend the wings upwards slightly which will make it spin sooner. For best results
drop from as high a place as possible.

1. Get an index card (a 3 by 5card works best but you can use any rectangular index
card).

2. Fold the card in half and unfold.

Step2
3. Cut about half way down the crease that you folded.

Step3

4. Now cut about 1/3 through the paper laterally a little below your first cut from the
long edge.

Step4
5. Fold both of the sections you made in step 4 in like these pictures:

Step5

Step5
6. Fold the cuts you made in step 1 in opposite directions on either side, forward and
backward. Than add a paperclip on the very bottom of the helicopter and you're
done! Your helicopter should look like the picture in the introduction.

7. Drop from your hand from as high a place you can and watch it spin as it falls.
A Delta Wing Paper Airplane:

The delta wing design, in which the wings are triangular, offer modern airplanes several
advantages that enhance speed and maneuverability. The same concept can be applied on
a much smaller scale to paper airplanes.

Make sure that all folds are carefully made, and use a light weight paper. When you
throw your model be sure you through it gently with the nose pointed slightly upwards.
If necessary you can put a small paper clip on the nose for ballast. Use a straight edge on
the creases and be careful to fold exactly as outlined below.

1.

8.5x11 sheet of paper

Get a standard piece of printer paper (US Letter-8.5 by 11 inches, or A4 size).

2.

Unfolded paper

Fold and unfold the paper vertically and horizontally to form center creases.

3.
 Fold top corners to center

Fold the two top corners down to meet at the center of the paper, leaving a flat
area at the top.

4.

Fold top down to center

Fold the top of the paper down to the center of the paper.

5.

Fold top corners to center crease

Fold down top corners to meet at the center crease, this time leaving a point at
the top.

6.

Fold paper in half

Fold the paper in half along the center crease.

7.

Draw line

Draw a line 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) from the center fold.

8.

Fold wing down

Fold wing down along line that was drawn. Repeat for other side.
 9.

Fold wing tip up

Fold wing tip up. Repeat for other side.

10.

Ready for Flight

Adjust the angles of the wings so it looks like the one shown.

While folding and flying a paper airplane can be fun, there comes a time when you need
to move on to something more challenging. One really great idea is to get some tri-linear
flyers which you can find at The Paper Airplane Company.
The Cobra Paper Airplane:

Hold a sheet of paper in portrait orientation and fold in half (lengthways) along the line
shown in Figure 1 then open out again.

Figure 1

Now fold in the top left and top right corners of the paper to the centre line as shown in
Figure 2.

Figure 2

Fold down the tip of the plane to the centre of the bottom of the top triangle. This fold is
shown by an arrow in Figure 3.

Figure 3
Now comes the first tricky bit. Open up the paper to it's original form so that the dotted
lines shown in Figure 4 mark out the creased lines on the paper.

Next, pull in the corners and top centre of the paper along the arrows shown in Figure
4 so that the plane passes through the step shown in Figure 5 .

Figure 4

The plane should fall relatively comfortably into the form shown in Figure 5 due to the
existing creases.

Figure 5

Fold down the trapezium shape at the top of Figure 6 along the bottom edge of the folded
down paper. There are little dotted indicators at each end of the line in Figure 6 to
indicate which line to fold along.

Figure 6
Now fold and unfold as indicated by the arrows on Figure 7. This involves folding the top
left and right corners into the centre line of the plane at the bottom of the flap folded
down in the previous step.

Figure 7

Flip over the plane and fold in the opposite direction along the creases created in the
previous step then unfold as indicated by the arrows in DIG. 8.

Figure 8

The top left and right corners (labeled A and B) must now be tucked under the flap
formed in step 7 (colored in red) so that they meet at the centre line of the plane at the
bottom edge of that flap. The labels are shown in Figure 9 and the folding should pass
through the form shown in Figure 10 where the red arrows indicate pressure being
applied. The positions the arrows are applying pressure to are the corners labeled A and
B.
 Figure 9

Figure 10

Fold the plane in half along the centre line in Figure 11 keeping all the folded sections on
the outside when folding.

Figure 11

Fold down the wings along the dotted lines indicated in DIG. 12 and DIG. 13 to give the
form shown in DIG. 14 then open up to give the plane as shown at the top of the page.
Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14
The Classic Dart Paper Airplane:

Take an A4 sheet and fold it in half

Fold the short edge of one side down to the first fold (ie produces a 45Degree angle). Do
this for the other side too.

Fold down the new fold you have created to the original fold you did in (1). Repeat for
the other side.

Do (3) again for both sides

Hold Centre and open wings out. Now Throw!!!

Hold Centre and open wings out. Now Throw!!!

The Edmonton Shadow Paper Airplane:

Take some A4 (8 1/2" by 11") paper and lay it landscape. Fold creasing hard along the
center line then open it out again and fold along the two dotted lines in Figure 1 I find
that the steeper the angle the better the flight at the end. You will get the body in Figure 2
note the fact that the flap folded over on top does not overlap the one beneath and that the
shape of the plane is totally symmetrical.

Figure 1

Now fold down the nose you are left with along the dotted line in DIG. 2 to give the body
in DIG. 3.

Figure 2

Fold along the two dotted lines in Figure 3 forming the shape in Figure 4 (having brought
the two sides of the front edge to meet in the center line)

Figure 3

Now fold along the center of the plane and fold down the two wings as indicated by the
dotted lines in Figure 4 to give you a plane looking like that at the top of the page. To
improve flight the two wingtips at the very rear of the plane should be folded up totally.
Figure 4
The Flying Fish Paper Airplane:

First make the normal fold down the middle as shown in Figure 1 and then re-open the
paper flat (but with a crease down the middle).

FIGURE 1

Then fold in the top left hand corner to the center line and the top right hand corner in the
same manner along the diagonal dotted lines shown in FIGURE 2 this should give you
the form in FIGURE 3 (yellow denotes the "underside" of the sheet of paper)

FIGURE 2

Fold the two sides EQUALLY in to the center line along the dotted lines in FIGURE 3.
This should give the symmetric form in FIGURE 4
 FIGURE 3

Simply fold point A to meet point B in FIGURE 4 make this fold along the dotted line
and then crease hard and open the paper again then fold along this line in the opposite
direction, crease hard and unfold again.

FIGURE 4

Now fold C to meet D (indicated in FIGURE 5), crease hard and unfold. Repeat with A
and B.
 FIGURE 5

In FIGURE 6 press in on the points marked C and D pushing the paper up along the fold
made in Step 4 and giving the pushed inwards and upwards sides hopefully indicated in
FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 6
 FIGURE 7

Now fold up point A marked in FIGURE 7 to meet point B. This should only involve
folding up a flap of paper. The crease should be made VERY HARD and then unfolded
and this flap tucked inside the nose of the plane. There should be a very obvious pocket
in which to do this.

FIGURE 8
Now simply fold out the undercarriage as shown in FIGURE 8 to give FIGURE 9. This
final form should then be thrown by holding the pocket mentioned in Step 7 and angling
the nose of the plane very slightly downwards. A gentle throw will result in a long glide.

FIGURE 9
The Rapier Paper Airplane:

First take a rectangular A4 (8 1/2" by 11") sheet of paper and fold down the center dotted
line on FIGURE 1 opening it out again afterwards.

Take the first 1cm (1/2") of the rectangular sheet and fold it up along the dotted line in
FIGURE 2.

Fold the flap over and over until about 3/8 of the length of the sheet is folded in this
concertina fashion as in FIGURE 3 this should give a heavy and thick front lip.
Now fold along the two dotted lines in FIGURE 3 bringing the top edges into the center
line and fold along the center line to give FIGURE 4 as a side view.

FIGURE 4

Fold the wings down along the dotted line in FIGURE 4 one either side of the center.
Now the plane should look like the diagram at the top of the page.
The Swallow Paper Airplane:

1. Start with an ordinary sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" - 21.6 x 28 cm (U.S.standard writing paper
size). The exact size is not important, it should be rectangular and not square. The paper
should be at least 20 Lb. bond or copy paper.
2. Fold over the left hand corner as shown.
3. Crease

4. Result
5. Fold over the right hand corner.
6. Crease

7. Result
8. Carefully close in the sides as shown.
9. Fold down the center line from front to back.

10. Fold the resulting left hand tip up as shown.

11. Crease along the bottom edge.
12. Repeat the same procedure on the right section.
13. Fold the left hand point back.

14. Crease

15. Mirror the same folds on the right panel.

16. Bend the left panel as shown.

17. Crease from back to front only 2/3 of the way.

18. Study photos 18 and 19 carefully. These folds are difficult to describe. Try to
duplicate them as shown in the photos.

19. Mirror the folds on the right.

20. Turn the plane over and fold the point back and crease as shown.

21. Turn the plane over again. The result should be similar to the photo.
22. Crease wing as shown.

23. Moisten the crease with your tongue. Do this slowly and carefully or you could
receive a painful paper cut on your tongue.

24. Carefully tear off strip of paper. Save the strip of paper because you are going to
need it to make the tail.

25. To make the tail, fold down the center of the strip of paper to form a trough.

26. Tear as shown to form control surfaces. The folds should be parallel with the bottom
of the trough.

27. Fold wings up.

28. Fold the right wing down as shown in photos 28 and 29. Take special care to angle
this fold in such a way so that the leading edge of the wing is slightly higher than the
trailing edge.

29. Study this photo and you will see that the fold is not exactly parallel with the trough
at the bottom but slightly angled as described in photo 28.

30. The plane should look like this at this point.

31. Bend the wingtips up.

32. Insert tail into slot under wing.

33. Finished at last!

34. Aircraft shown with landing gears down. Note: the craft does not fly as well with the
gears down.

35. Ready to fly!

Preflight inspection -
Before you fly the model plane for the first time you should examine it carefully looking
directly at the front and the rear. Just like a real airplane, the left and right side must be
the same, that is a mirror image of each other. If one wing is higher then the other or the
surfaces are not at the same angle, or the tail is crooked, then the plane is likely to fly
poorly. Make any adjustments to correct these problems now.

Flight techniques -
This is the fun part, learning to fly. The airplane can be launched with force or softly.
Launching it on a windy day directly into the breeze causes it to climb into a half barrel
roll. For a second it will fly upside down and then flip over and fly a long distance with
the wind. On calm days you can launch it gently horizontally. It has a long glide path and
will generally go in a straight line or go into a gentle curve.

Fine tuning -
If you find that the plane is banking to the left or right, you can correct this by
experimenting with bends on the control surfaces. To gain extra control, cut flaps on the
rear edge of the wings and bend the flaps up or down as needed. You can also try bending
the wing tips down instead of up.
 The tail flaps can be bent up slightly if the plane tends to dive. All changes should
be made with small adjustments and then a test flight to analyze the change.

Make more than one model airplane. You will find that they all have unique flight
characteristics, no two are alike. Choose the one that flies best and try to find out why it
flies so well.

Try making really large versions of this plane using construction or ledger paper. They
fly just as well only higher and farther.
 Horizon
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Fold paper in half long Fold top corners in so that Fold in half from top to
ways and crease. Unfold. corners meet at centerline bottom.
and creases pass through
bottom corners.

Step 4 Step 5
Fold top corners Grab corner 1 and fold along centerline. This will stretch out the
down so that edges left crease made in step 4. Flatten well and grab both halves at
meet at centerline. corner 2 and fold back to left side along centerline. Flatten well
Crease well. Now and return the top half back to the right.
unfold these corners.

Horizon
The horizon is a fast straight plane.
When 24-lb. paper is used it will
fly a very good distance if thrown a
little harder than most gliders. It
can fly fairly well when made with
Step 6 Step 7 lighter paper. It is not easy to fold
perfectly symmetrical but doesnt
Fold nose flap up as Fold corners down to require perfection to function well.
far as possible. meet at centerline.
Flatten all folds well.
 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
Fold corners Fold in half along Fold wings over
shown and tuck in centerline with from centerline. Fold
behind inner flaps. smooth side on tail on diagonal 2 up
inside. from bottom edge
down to where the
wing crease meets the
back edge. Crease.
Unfold and use index
finger to push into
center of body.

Step 11 Flight Instructions

Fold fins up 1 1/8 Make sure wings are level (or
from edges. slightly up) and fins are straight up.
Throw level at a medium or a
high speed. Trim per general
instructions if required but the
plane seems to do well as folded
on a variety of paper. It may do
better if leading edges of wings are
taped together.
 J.A.Plane
J.A.Plane
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases, and green lines represent hidden edges.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Fold paper in half long Fold paper in half vertically Fold top corners down
ways and crease. Unfold. as shown. to meet at center line
and crease. Unfold.

Corner 1 Corner 2

Step 4
Grab corner 1 and fold along centerline. This will stretch out the top left corner. Flatten well
and grab both halves at corner 2. Fold back towards left side along centerline. Flatten well
and return upper flap to the right.

Line A
J. A. Plane
This plane is a very good glider
that works on most types and
weights of paper with little
adjustment. Works better with a
Edge 2 Edge 3 little tape on the nose but can be
Point 1
trimmed without it. It flies better
than a lot of the other planes when
Step 5
using 20 lb paper.
Pick up at point 1 and fold along line A. This will
stretch edges 2 & 3 (hidden under flap) to meet at the
centerline. Flatten well.
 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9
Fold top corner Fold corner Reverse fold Repeat steps 6
down as shown. over as shown corner and tuck thru 8 for other
crease and in behind inner side.
unfold. flaps.

2 1/2"

7/8" 7/8"

Step 10 Step 11 Step 12

Turn plane over Fold wings over 7/8" Fold fins up 7/8"
and fold plane in from centerline. Fold from edge.
half. tail 2 " from bottom
edge as shown. Crease
and unfold. Push tail
up into center of body.

Flight Instructions
Make sure wings are level (or slightly up) and fins are straight up. Throw level at a medium
or a high speed. Trim per general instructions if required but the plane seems to do well as
folded on a variety of paper. It may do better if nose and leading edges of wings are taped
together.
 Lunar Hawk
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases, and green lines represent hidden edges.

Lunar Hawk
This plane has a unique
look. I saw something
similar to it on the net, but
that one did not fly well. I
spent some time trying
different measurements and
was finally able to come up
with a working plane that
Step 1 Step 2 kept the unique look.
This plane is one of the
Fold paper in half long Fold top corners down to more difficult to fold and
ways and crease. Unfold. meet at center. requires a paper that will
stretch without tearing. I
have found several types of
24 lb. ink jet paper that do
work well. You may waste
3" a few pieces getting this
one right. As fast as it likes
to fly it may be a good
choice for gluing up and
shooting with rubber band
shooter.

Step 3 Step 4
Fold top corner down Fold top corner
3.0" as shown. Crease down to meet crease
and unfold just made as shown.

2"

1 1/8"

Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

Refold top edge Flatten well and fold Fold tail section at Unfold steps 7 and 6.
along existing along centerline. dimensions shown both Fold top corners down
crease. toward front and back. to meet centerline.
 3/4"
Edge A
Edge B

Step 9 Step 10 Step 11 Step 12

View after step 8. Fold both edges Flip plane back Fold edge A to meet
Flip plane over over " as shown. over left to right. edge B. Flatten well.
from left to right. Crease and unfold. Repeat for left side.

Flap A Flap B
Edge C Edge D

Step 13 Step 14 Step 15

As best as possible fold
edge C to centerline. Only
the bottom portion will
align to center. Lightly
crease lower part of fold
as shown with red dotted
line. Unfold and repeat
with edge D.
Here is the hard part. Grab Fold flaps as shown. Note:
and raise flaps A and B to plane is shown upside
meet each other. Holding down and flaps will point
both flap together gently down on completed plane.
push down towards
centerline of plane. This
should squash the plane
into the shape shown to
right. Carefully flatten all
creases. Tape body flaps
together.
Finished plane

Flight Instructions
Make sure wings are slightly up and fins are straight down. Throw level
at a high speed. Trim by adjusting how much up angle (dihedral
angle) the wings have. This will adjust the tail to give a straight flight.
If problems continue, adjust tail size. This plane should be able to make
a long straight flight.
 Quasar Clipper
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases, and green lines represent hidden edges.

Step 1
Fold paper in half long
ways and crease. Unfold.
Step 2
Fold top corners down to
meet at center. Unfold.
Quasar Clipper
This plane is a fast and
easy to make glider.
Between it and its sister
design, Clipper Too, you
should get a good flier on
most types and weights of
paper. This design can be
used to make heavier
planes to be launched with
a rubber band shooter.

Edge A
Point 4
Point 3
Crease B

Point 1
Point 2

Step 3 Step 4 Step 5a

Fold top point down to meet point 1 as Fold top flap Grab point 3 and fold on
shown. Crease and unfold. Fold top point down along centerline. This will stretch
down to meet point 2 as shown. Crease edge A. point 4 to the centerline by
and unfold. folding on crease B.

Point 5 Line E
Flap C Flap D

Step 5b Step 6
Repeat for right side grabbing point 5 and folding along centerline. Tuck flap D inside by
Return Flap C back to the right side. Flatten well. folding in at Line E.
Flatten well.
 Flap F Line G

Step 7
Fold flap F along center to right side. Fold right side along line G. Return flap F to right
side by folding back on centerline.

2 3/8"

7/8" 1 1/16"

Step 8 Step 9 Step 10

Repeat step 7 for Fold wings over 7/8" Fold fins up 1 1/16"
left side and fold from centerline. Fold tail from edge.
plane in half. 2 3/8" from bottom edge
as shown. Crease and
unfold. Push tail up into
center of body.

Flight Instructions
Make sure wings are level (or slightly up) and fins are straight up. Throw level at a
medium or a high speed. Trim per general instructions if required but the plane seems to
do well as folded on a variety of paper. It may do better if nose and leading edges of wings
are taped together.
 Smasher
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases, and green lines represent hidden edges.

Smasher
This plane is a very fast
and very easy to make
glider. This design can be
used to make heavier
planes to be launched with
a rubber band shooter. Fins
may have to be turned
down.
Step 1 Step 2
Fold paper in half long Fold top corners down to Flight
ways and crease. Unfold. meet at center. Unfold. Instructions
Make sure wings
are level (or
Point 2 slightly up) and
fins are straight up.
Throw level at a
high speed. Trim
per general
Point 1 instructions if
required. It will do
better if nose is
taped together.
Step 3 Step 4 Step 5
Fold top section Fold point 1 up to Fold top corners
down as shown. meet top edge. down to meet
Flatten well. centerline at
point 2.

7/8" 1 1/16"

Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

Fold in half and Fold wings over 7/8" Fold fins up 1 1/16"
flatten well. from centerline. from edge.
 Trigon
Note: Red lines are for folds, blue lines indicate existing creases.

Trigon
This plane like Smasher is a quick and easy plane to make. It is also
a good choice to make out of 28 lb (or heavier) paper for rubber
band launching. Top nose flaps can be taped together but should not
be taped to main wing. Bottom nose flaps can be taped to wing at
leading edge. This plane flies as a fast glider on all weights of
paper.

Step 1
Fold paper in half long
ways and crease. Unfold.

Step 2
Fold upper right corner so that it touches left edge and the crease ends at the lower right
corner. Refold at center crease (a ruler or straight edge is a plus here). Unfold both folds.

Flight Instructions
Make sure wings are level (or slightly up) and fins are straight up. Throw level at a
medium or "high" speed for glider. Trim per general instructions. Add tail only if
necessary for a particular type paper. Normally trailing edge adjustments work fine.
 Edge C

Line B Edge C
Line A

Crease 2
Crease 1

Step 3 (completed) Step 4 Step 5

Repeat step 2 Fold on creases 1 and 2 bringing lines A and Fold top down
instructions for left B to center. This will cause edge C to puff along edge C.
side. up. Flatten edge C down as shown

Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

Flatten all folds well. Fold left and right upper Fold plane in half.
corners as shown.

7/8" 1 1/16"

Step 9 Step 10
Fold wings down 7/8" Fold flaps up 1 1/16"
from center edge. from each corner.
 Fold #10 Outwards

Fold #9 inwards and flatten

excess paper into fold

Fold #8 inwards

Fold #1 Fold #7 inwards Fold #2

inwards inwards

Fold #6 inwards

Fold #5 inwards

Fold #4 inwards

Fold #3 inwards
 Fold #10 Outwards

Fold #9 inwards and flatten

excess paper into fold

Fold #8 inwards

Fold #1 Fold #7 inwards Fold #2

inwards inwards

Fold #6 inwards

Fold #5 inwards

Fold #4 inwards

Fold #3 inwards