![]() Here are some instructions to make some cool paper planes. Take a piece of paper and make a paper airplane. In planes, thrust is a mechanical force (generated by the engines) that makes the plane move through the air. But if you make a paper airplane with lots of flat expanses sticking out, you’ll increase the drag and your plane won’t be able to fly as far. All planes have the force of drag acting on them. That’s what happens when you make paper planes – the shape of the wings, flaps, body of the plane etc all respond differently to ‘drag’. Can you feel a bit more resistance now that you’ve made the flap? Cut through the air a few more times with the thin edge. Now fold the paper in half to make an L shape. ![]() Part 2īefore you finish this experiment, cut through the air again with the thin edge. Yep that’s right, the larger, flat side has the most drag on it – that’s what’s making the top part of your paper pull or be ‘dragged’ back. ![]() Which way has the most drag? Is it when you have the biggest, flat side of the paper pushing through the air or when you have the smallest, thin edge of the paper? Can you still feel the air pushing against it? Now turn the paper around so that when you wave it, you’re using the thin edge to cut through the air. Can you feel the air pushing against it? Can you see the top part of the paper being pulled back when you wave it? Wave the paper from side to side, like a flag. Take a piece of paper (one that’s not too stiff) and hold it at the bottom. Paper airplanes that have a lot of drag will have shorter flights because it’s harder for them to push through the air. There are four aerodynamic forces that really effect how your paper airplane flies – drag, gravity, thrust and lift. The word aerodynamics is taken from two Greek terms – aer (air) and dynamics (power). Add a small flap on each side of the wings.Wing Angle How paper planes fly AerodynamicsĪerodynamics is the study of airflow (and other gases) and how it moves around things. Fold the wings down along the dotted lines on both sides.Ĩ. Fold the two sides toward each other so that the bottom of your paper should now be showing on the sides like this:ħ. Bring down the top 2 corners to form a triangle on each side.Ħ. Now bring down the whole top piece down along the dotted line.ĥ. We created this simple glider design and template for kids to fold and make!Ĥ. Fold the wings down along the dotted lines on both sides.Īnd you now have your finished paper airplane!Ī paper airplane glider acts just like how it sounds – it glides in the air for much longer than a classic paper airplane would. Fold the two sides toward each other so that the bottom of your paper should now be showing on the sides like this:Ħ. Your paper airplane should now look like this:ĥ. Fold along the other dotted line on the back of the paper so that the fold is flush to the center. Then fold in the paper on each side to the center. Then bring down the top two corners to form a triangle on each side.Ĥ. Fold the template in half so that the colored part is on the outside. Make sure to also select “fit to page” or 100% so that the template fills the full page space.Ģ. The image above has some extra paper that should be trimmed off at the top. Trim off the top so that the peak of the triangle on the templates is flush with the edge of the paper. TIP for printing: Your printer may add some extra space above where the lines form to a peak. Or you can follow along with your own paper! First print off the template by subscribing to our newsletter (on the form with the preview of the template). This classic paper airplane is made easy to fold with our paper airplane template!ġ. ![]() Make sure to also select “fit to page” or 100% so that the template fills the full page space. You can color them and create your own fun designs!
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