Make a Flapping Paper Airplane

This isn't your standard paper airplane. Learn how to make a paper airplane that flaps its wings when it flies.

Steps

  1. Start with a sheet of paper - 8.5x11 inches (or A4) works well.
  2. Grab a corner and fold it so that its edge lines up with the opposite edge. You should have a triangle sitting on top of a narrow rectangle.
  3. Cut off the remaining paper. Trim off the rectangle at the bottom.
  4. Now you have a square.
  5. Create creases along the diagonals by folding each corner to its opposite corner, then unfolding.
  6. Fold in half backwards and pull in sides and collapse to form a triangle.
  7. Unfold the left side of the triangle. It should look like you have a square on one side, and a triangle on the other.
  8. Fold the right side down. Make what was once the top edge of the triangle perpendicular to the bottom of the triangle.
  9. Unfold the flap you just folded, then fold a new, smaller flap so that the edge of the fold touches the end of the crease from Step 8. Do not unfold.
  10. Refold along flap created in Step 8.
  11. Flip the small flap up. Make it so that the top edge of your new triangle is parallel to the bottom of the page.
  12. Flip the paper over, and repeat Steps 8 through 11. You should now be working on the left side.
    • Flip up the wings. Focus on the square portion you made in Step 7. Grab the bottom corner, and drag it up to the top edge, making a diagonal fold. Flip the paper over, and do the same to the other corner.
  13. Turn the flapper right side up. Unfold your last two folds a bit, so that the wings stick out from the body of the plane at a 90-degree angle.
  14. Place a small coin into one of the two slots at the front of the plane. Which side you choose doesn't matter.
  15. Fold the right flap over the two slots (one of which has a penny/small coin in it) and tuck inside.
  16. Fold the left flap over the folded right flap. The right and left flaps should almost look like they're embracing the center slots.
  17. Tape flap to plane. If you don't have tape available, use a paper clip.
  18. Throw the flapper hard, and watch it fly. The harder you throw, the more it will flap.

Tips

  • You can secure your folds by going over them with a ruler, or a coin.
  • If you already have a square piece of paper, skip steps 1, 2, and 3.
  • A4-sized paper is European/Australian paper size - it is slightly longer and thinner than US/Canadian letter size but this should not matter since the paper used is at the first step cut into a perfect square.

Things You'll Need

  • A penny or small coin
  • Tape or paper clip/rubber band
  • Scissors
  • Rectangular paper

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Sources and Citations

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