Robinson - Idiots Guides: Paper Airplanes

Paper
Airplanes

by Nick Robinson

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First American Edition, 2016
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
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Copyright 2016 Dorling Kindersley Limited

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eISBN: 9781465451149

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 20155954782

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Dedicated to my familymy wife, Alison; my children, Daisy and young Nick; plus our cats, Brian and Rhubarb.

Introduction

The sight of an airplane passing overhead rarely fails to delight peopleits a beautiful sight, and it often fills the mind with questions.

Where does it come from? Where is it going? Who is on board? We take planes for granted, yet the first flight took place only a little over 100 years ago. Despite our best efforts, humans cannot fly without a machine to help them, which may explain our fascination with paper planes!

Acknowledgments

Model credits: Fury by Florence Temko. Diamond Flyer by Rob Snyder. Nakamura Glider by Eiji Nakamura. Classic Dart, Canard, Flying Wing, and Champion are traditional designs. All other designs are by Nick Robinson. In this field, its perfectly possible that others have independently created similar designs.

The author would like to thank all at Alpha books for their input. Special thanks goes to the British Origami Society for its help and support. Thanks to Rob Snyder for encouragement and for checking the folding sequences.

Check out the authors website at www.origami.me.uk

BACKGROUND PHOTOS

Greg Ward Rough Guides

Idris Ahmed Dorling Kindersley

Alistair Duncan Dorling Kindersley

Mike Good Dorling Kindersley

Tamara Thiessen Dorling Kindersley

Paul Whitfield Rough Guides

Tim Draper Rough Guides

Demetrio Carrasco Dorling Kindersley

Martin Richardson Rough Guides

Steven Greaves Dorling Kindersley

Nigel Hicks Dorling Kindersley

Diana Jarvis Rough Guides

Corbis

Fotolia: Galyna Andrushko

Dave King Dorling Kindersley

Tony Soulter Dorling Kindersley

Folding Perfection

Paper planes, like real planes, need to be perfectly symmetrical to fly in a straight line. So its very important that you fold slowly, carefully, and accurately.

If you rush the folding sequence, theres a good chance that your plane wont fly well and youll have to make it again. Haste makes waste very much applies to paper planes. Remember that you want the best flyer, ideally the first time you fold it. However, if all goes wrong, sometimes its best to toss the plane in the recycling bin and start again.

Make sure youre folding on a flat, clean surface and that the lighting is good. Because to fold to a crease, you have to be able to see it!

Edge to Edge, Corner to Corner

If you fold a plane in half and the edges of the wings dont line up, your plane will fly in a curve, because one wing will be larger than the other. Sometimes when there are several layers of paper, it can be hard to line edges up perfectly, but try your best at all times. A similar problem occurs if corners do not meet. Again, it means that the plane will not be properly balanced.

Crease in the Right Place

Every crease you make while folding a paper plane will have an effect on the quality of the final model. The key is to not make a crease until youre certain its in the right place. The best way to do this is to move the upper half of the paper slowly up to the target, then slightly beyond it, then come back and forward, making smaller movements until youre certain its in the proper place. If you unfold a crease and make another close by, the paper will be confused, and it may well affect the flight.

Nothing Lasts Forever

Paper has the natural property of soaking up moisture. (This has the delightful name of deliquescence .) As you fly your design, particularly in colder air, this process will begin to happen, and the wings will start to become slightly floppy.