How to make the best paper airplane

I love airplanes. As you are reading this, you probably have at least a little interest in planes as well. And as any kid will tell you, arguably the best kinds of airplanes are of the "paper" variety.

If you are looking for the greatest paper airplanes, we have you covered. This article will show you how to fold the best paper airplane for every situation. There are different goals that require different designs. For example, if your goal is to fly the longest distance, this requires a different design than if your goal is to do the most acrobatic flips. We have identified 5 goals and tested every one of our paper airplane designs to determine the winner for each category. Use the table of contents to skip to the category that you are most interested in, or scroll down to begin.

How to make the best paper airplane

Playing with paper airplanes has always been an enjoyable activity for young and old. The paper airplane is said to have been invented by the Chinese in about BC. It's been a great educational toy ever since then! Even the Wright Brothers used paper airplanes to build models of their first actual airplanes. This paper airplane pictured above is simple to make and it performs better than any other paper plane I've made. No previous paper airplane experience is needed. This instructable will guide you through the steps of how to fold it, and then modify it so you can make your own great design! Fold the paper in half lengthwise some call this "hot dog style" and open it back up again. Ensure that the crease made by the fold is visible. Fold the top corners in to the middle crease you made during the previous step. Try to keep these two folds as even and symmetrical as possible. The edges that you folded in should be touching each other, which will make a triangle at the top of your paper.

Don't worry if your fold isn't perfect--it should still work just fine as long as the shape you made closely resembles a triangle. Once you have some practice with your winning paper airplane, here are some paper airplane games to play and here are instructions for having a paper airplane contest. That's it.

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John Collins knows how to make a piece of paper go the distance. In , he set the world record for the farthest flight for a paper aircraft. Collins, who's known as "The Paper Airplane Guy," has written a new book offering instructions for folding not only his record-setting design, but stunt planes that do loops and flap their wings. Watch the video above and follow along as you create five of his favorite designs. You can also browse more detailed instructions on the pages below. Precise folds are key to producing a plane that's stable and flies the way its intended. You'll also need to have some tape handy to make these designs perform their best.

How to make the best paper airplane

Last Updated: January 22, Fact Checked. This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. He has more than three years of experience writing for and working with wikiHow. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 5,, times. Learn more Up, up, and away! Paper airplanes are a fun, easy way to pass the time—but how exactly do you turn a basic piece of paper into a jet-setting masterpiece? To make a simple paper airplane, first fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. Then, unfold it and fold the top 2 corners to the center.

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If your plane loses balance while flying, try re-folding the wings and wing tips so they are exactly even with each other. This will leave a half inch along the top as well, which we want [Pic. Feel free to check them out, rate, comment, question, and copy! If you want a paper airplane that looks like a real airplane, try the Navy Plane or Fast Glider. At this point, your plane should appear similar to the pictures. Now that you know the best paper airplane design for your specific goal, don't forget to use the optimal size of paper to fold your paper airplane. Young children often lack the dexterity to make perfect symmetrical folds. If you read our article on steering paper airplanes you can learn how to make adjustments to this or any paper airplane to get it to fly in turns, loops, spins or spirals. Unfold the paper. Unfold the wings again to reveal your finished product. After a few tries, they will get the hang of it. If the airplane doesn't go in a straight line, you can make small bends to the backs of the wings. This leaves a reference crease down the center, which I have marked in red. As you can see, there is no single design that we can call the "best paper airplane design" or "greatest paper airplane". Let's make the wings!

Below is the script for the video above. If you want, give it a watch. If you want the info without the sound, read on.

This design is fairly easy to fold, but a little tricky to adjust for long flights. Fold the top corners in to the middle crease you made during the previous step. We have identified 5 goals and tested every one of our paper airplane designs to determine the winner for each category. At least, all the ones I ever enjoyed making and flying as a kid were. Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas and taught you a few new paper airplane designs. A downward pointing triangle should be visible below the points of the last two folds [Pic. During this process, make sure the two corners don't slip out of the little triangle fold that's holding them down. Introduction Distance Time Aloft Speed. This leaves a reference crease down the center, which I have marked in red. If you want a paper airplane that looks like a real airplane, try the Navy Plane or Fast Glider. There are different goals that require different designs. At this point, you have a fully functional paper airplane! If you are looking for the greatest paper airplanes, we have you covered. Exactness counts. It should be slightly at an angle from the keel of the plane body the part formed by the reference crease , tapering toward the front of the plane.