Growing up, I always made paper airplanes with anything I could lay my hands on, my father’s documents, discarded soap cartons, school assignments, to mention a few, and I made these planes everywhere! While my siblings preferred flying a kite by the beach, I was thoroughly enthused by beating my last flight record with my variety of planes.
However, since the days of my childhood, paper airplanes have evolved from things used to keep the attention of a kid or things parents let them indulge in when they want to ignore them for a bit. It has actually evolved into an art form. With the recent record-breaking flight of The Suzanne, a paper airplane built by Mr. John Collins, who is arguably the world’s number one Paper Plane guy, we have broken into an era where paper airplanes mean much more.
It is no more just about making an Easy Paper Airplane. The sheer variety and complexities of paper airplanes are indicative of the various planes in existence, from the fighter jet to the Boeing. In fact, paper airplanes have become prototypes of sorts for real plane designs.
If you are reading this post, then the chances are that you are already a paper plane enthusiast or at least you are seeking some knowledge. I don’t need to waste too much time convincing you of their value, but I intend to spend some time teaching you the few steps to one of the easiest paper planes that have great flight too.
After following these paper airplane instructions, you should be able to master all 10 steps for yourself or for your kids with no help at all. We are making the Stealth paper airplane. Here goes:
Describing the Stealth
The Stealth is a kind of paper airplane that has a slight variation from the traditional dart paper plane. The stealth is built for longer distances and looks way cooler than the dart, plus, it has that fighter jet-like finish to it that makes it all the more amazing which helps the flight.
Note: To make this, a light A4 white paper is recommended. Also, use a ruler or any tool that you can use to iron down your creases.
Ten Steps to Making the Stealth
Here are the 10 steps to follow when making the stealth plane yourself;
Step 1: Smoothen the paper and fold it in half vertically. Unfold the paper to expose the center crease
Step 2: Fold both the top-left and top-right corners into the center crease created by step 1. The creases that these folds cause should converge into the same point at the top to form a nose.
Step 3: Fold the nose downwards towards you and make sure it comes real close to the lower edge. The fold has to cover at least a third of the paper, leaving just a quarter below.
Step 4: Fold both the top-right and top-left corners inwards to lie side by side against the center crease. Make sure the two paper edges are touching lightly at the tips.
Step 5: If you have followed correctly up till now, you should have a little tip (The remnant of Step 3) pointing downwards towards you. Fold that tip upwards over the two flaps so that its tip hits the center crease as well. The purpose of this is to lock the other two flaps in place.
Step 6: Fold the plane in half away from you and along the center crease, so that flap you just created in Step 5 is divided in two and visible to you. (Don’t fold from behind). Rotate the plane so that the nose is pointing to your left in preparation for the next step.
Step 7: It is time to create wings now. Fold the outer layer downwards. Make sure you don’t start from the nose tip. Start from a distance of 3mm away from it. Flip the plane and do the same to the other wing.
Step 8: Fold up the sides of each wing about 2mm away from their tips. You should have a ‘tab’; apart standing upwards when you hold up the plane.
Step 9: Cut two small slits at the back of each wing. If you have followed up until now, you should have a Stealth plane on your hands, but you would notice an obvious gap in the center between the two wings. That gap can significantly affect flight. This is why you need the next step.
Step 10: Add double-sided tape to the inside of the body (the center of the plane to close that obvious gap as seen in step 9). You can also use light gum. The finished plane should look like the image below.
Throwing the Stealth
The Stealth may not have distinct beauty, but it does have a good flight. Hold the Stealth steady and at pointing level. Give it a ‘Push’ throw. In case you were wondering, that is the kind of throw where your hand guides the motion of the flight for a distance before letting go of the plane. It is a kind of wing but with a forward direction
It is one thing to want to make a paper plane, and it is another thing to have precise paper Easy Paper Airplane instructions. These instructions are simple and aim at making sure you can do it yourself, for whatever the occasion may be.
The kids will be thrilled with the Stealth plane, and it is okay if you are thrilled as well. The Stealth has distinct advantages over the typical dart airplane. It flies farther, and the tabs at the edges of the wings make for better balance in mid-flight and help increase flotation and hence, the beauty of the flight.