Paper Airplanes
Paper Airplanes are a lot of fun. Now there’s some debate over the World’s Greatest Paper Airplane, but in my opinion the Bulldog Dart and the Harrier are at the top. They’re simple, fast and can be made with a letter-sized sheet of paper, or a possibly a business card.
Speaking of business cards, if you were given one from Andy Mylin Art & Design and found this site, then you’ll notice that on the card are numbers and fold lines. The numbers correspond to the RED numbers on these images. Use them to follow along.
No business card? No problem. Just use a sheet of paper.
Bulldog Dart Business Card
1. Fold a letter-size sheet of paper lengthways along the line marked 1 to get a center line.
2. Flip it over and fold two corners into the center line. These two folds are marked with a 2.
3. Turn the paper over and fold those corners in half. These folds are marked with a 3 on your Andy Mylin Art & Design business card.
4. Fold the pointy nose back on its self to form the snub nose along the line marked with a 4. You might try folding the nose underneath, but both ways work well.
5. Fold the whole plane lengthways on the line marked with a 5.
6. Finally, fold each wing, marked with a 6 in half to complete the Bulldog Dart.
Excellent. You have created a Bulldog Dart! I think you’ll find it’s a competent glider. Now if you’d like something more refined, the Harrier shown below is for you. It’s an excellent long-distance glider. This plane does well at slower launch speeds. It can stall at high speed, but if you lift one of the flaps slightly at the back, it will swoop and return to your hand or fly in a great spiral.
Harrier
1. 1. Begin in the same way as the Bulldog Dart. Fold in half lengthways to find your center line and then fold two corners into that line.
2. Fold that top triangle down, as you see in the picture. It should look like an envelope.
3. Fold in the second set of corners. You should be able to see a triangular point sticking out.
4. Fold the triangle over the corners to hold them down.
5. Fold in half along the spine, leaving the triangle on the outside.
6. Finally fold the wings back on themselves, finding your halfway line carefully. The more accurate you are with these folds, the better the plane will fly.
This plane does well at slower launch speeds. It can stall at high speed, but if you lift one of the flaps slightly at the back, it will swoop and return to your hand or fly in a great spiral.
Okay, so there it is, have a great time floating these over your cubicle wall and next time you need a creative idea as to how you can make something fly, just contact me.
