Paper airplanes have been around for quite a while. The use of paper airplanes is said to have come on the scene around 2,000 years ago. Makes you wonder why it seems to coincide with the birth of Jesus Christ. However, the earliest historical account places the origin in China. Which, obviously, is a long distance away from the Holy city of Jerusalem.
However, the earliest known date of creation of what we recognize as the modern paper planes was said to have been in 1909. I’m not that old, and most of the present authorities on the scene seem to have agreed that the most accepted version of the creation was made two decades later in 1930 by Jack Northrop (Co-founder of Lockheed Corporation).
Over time, the art of making paper planes has evolved many times. The question we always get is How to Make the Best Paper Airplane. While we are just as enthused with the complex and esoteric, we also believe that there is beauty in simplicity. This article aims to teach you how to make two of the oldest versions of the paper airplanes; The Dart Airplane and the American Lung Association (ALA) fighter jet.
Why Bother with Paper Airplanes?
You are probably reading this article because you want an activity with your child, but are wondering why you even need to bother with them, right? Well, here is a thought;
First of all, you’re right; paper airplane projects are an excellent “hands-on” activity to engage in with your kid. It’s also a series of applications of different notions and theories regarding aircraft flight itself. What I’m trying to say is that making paper airplanes with your child is a great idea to ignite your child’s interest in aeronautics and to set the course for further studies.
Getting interested?
In addition, if your child is talented artistically, he/she will not just be excited by creating the plane but also decorating it. It is just a great way to open your child up to the world of creativity, construction, and possibilities.
Now that I have managed to convince you to read on, you can choose from a variety of the best paper airplanes, but perhaps the Dart is the best place to start.
Making the Dart Paper Airplane
Step 1: Use a sheet of 81/2-by-11-inch paper. Fold the paper into two equal halves along the length. Make sure you run a ruler or a thumbnail along the fold to iron down the crease. Now, unfold the paper.
Step 2: Fold down the top corners, both the left and the right corners into the center crease as indicated by the arrows in the image. Make sure that the two folds touch lightly at the tips and meet exactly at the center crease.
Step 3: Fold the two edges toward the center line, as indicated. Again, you want to make sure that the two folds meet at the center and touch lightly. If you have done this properly, you will have two triangular shapes on the face of your plane.
Step 4: Fold the plane in half inwards and vertically, then turn the plane 90-degrees as seen in step 5.
Step 5: Create a wing crease that begins at the nose and bends the external flap downwards along the crease.
Make sure that your folding doesn’t start at the tip of the nose, give a distance of about 3mm upwards from the nose and then your crease should rise up diagonally and gradually. Repeat the action for the other wing.
Step 6: Make sure you iron down the creases at every point, then open up the wings. The Basic Dart is complete.
Even the very best paper airplanes all have some weaknesses, and for the Dart paper plane, the common complaint is its repeated tendency to nose-dive. Well, there is no problem without a remedy. In this case, the remedy is so simple and really does work.
To correct the tendency of the plane to nose-dive, bend up the trailing edge of the wings for lift. The tail end I am referring to is marked out as ‘option’ in the image for step 6.
The American Lung Association Fighter
This paper airplane is aptly named after the American Lung Association because it was designed for the American Lung Association. However, in making this plane with your kids, or alone, you can choose to add your own patterns and name it whatever you want. It is one of those planes that are simple and still fly great. Here are the instructions;
Notice that this plane is only different from the dart paper plane in two folds, so don’t get carried away by the similarities in the instructions.
Step 1: Use a sheet of 81/2-by-11-inch paper. Fold the paper into two equal halves along the length. Make sure you run a ruler or a thumbnail along the fold to iron down the crease. Now, unfold the paper.
Step 2: Fold down the top corners, both the left and the right corners into the center crease as indicated by the arrows in the image. Make sure that the two folds touch lightly at the tips and meet exactly at the center crease
Step 3: Fold the two edges toward the center line, as indicated. Again, you want to make sure that the two folds meet at the center and touch lightly.
Step 4: Fold the plane in half inwards and vertically, then turn the plane 90-degrees as seen in step 5.
Step 5: Create a wing crease that begins at the nose and bends the external flap downwards along the crease.
As in the Dart plane, your folding should also start at a distance of about 3mm upwards from the nose, and your crease should rise up diagonally and gradually.
Step 6: Crease properly with a ruler or folding tool and then bend up the winglet and open up the wings.
Step 7: Open the model from the center gap and bring out the flap from the left side layer.
Step 8: Fold the triangle so that the lower edge meets the center line. This will leave a part of this left flap still sticking out.
Step 9: Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the right-hand flap. By now, you will have an antenna like structure on the top of the plane. This structure is basically what differentiates it from the normal Dart paper plane.
Spread out everything to form a 3-dimensional shape as shown in the figure. You can also choose to fold up the tabs (the rear end of the plane) of the plane as seen in the image below and The American Lung Association Delta Fighter is complete!
There you have it! It is time to get creating, and I am sure your family can’t wait to try out the ideas here. Happy flying, Captain!
