How to Make Origami Airplanes That Fly

Origami is a beautiful art contrived with intricate folding and classic designs. It's also fun, especially when you get to play with the result of your labors. With the correct materials, your imagination can soar along with the origami airplane you've constructed.

Things You'll Need

• One sheet of 8 1/2" by 11" paper

Instructions

Initial Folds

1. Place your piece of paper on the table in front of you with the shorter sides at the top and bottom. Fold the paper in half vertically so the longer sides are touching each other. Re-open your paper so it is flat again.

2. Fold the upper right corner so it lines up with the middle line you just created. Repeat the process with the upper left corner.

3. Look at your folding and recognize the triangle you just created at the top. Take this triangle and fold it down into the rectangle below so it looks like an envelope.

4. Pinch the tip of the triangle, which is now pointing at the bottom of your paper, and fold it back up towards the top. Leave approximately one half inch of space between the top of the triangle and the top of the paper. Your paper should now look like a rectangle with a small triangle inside it.

5. Take the top right corner and fold it into the middle as you did in Step 2 and repeat with the left side. Unfold both sides so your rectangle is flat again.

Finishing Details

1. Use the creases of the triangles you just made as a guideline--you should now have a new triangle in the upper right half of your paper and another triangle in the upper left half of your paper. Fold the triangle on the right side in half by taking the upper right corner and folding it towards the upper left corner.

2. Repeat Step 6 of Section 1 on the left half of your paper, except instead of folding the upper right corner to the upper left, fold the upper left corner to the upper right.

3. Bend the smaller triangles on both the upper right and left down, then fold the bigger triangles formed in Step 5 of Section 1 into the middle. Now your paper looks like a house.

4. Measure approximately two inches from the edge and fold the outside edge towards the middle on both sides; it will not meet the middle line. Fold the bottom left and right corners so they meet the edge of your new fold. These act as air flaps as you fly the airplane.

5. Use the line in the center of your airplane as a guide as you fold the entire airplane in half and spread out the outer panels and "air guides." You are now ready to fly your origami airplane.