How to Make an Origami Paper Airplane

The finished plane flies when you grasp the bottom and throw.

Folding paper to create functional and decorative objects such as flowers, boxes and planes is called origami, an art that originated in Japan. Decorative origami is helped by origami paper, which are square, lightweight sheets printed in many colors and designs. Functional origami also benefits from the paper so that something like a box can be beautiful while also serving a purpose.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet of square, lightweight paper, preferably origami paper

Instructions

1. Fold the paper in half horizontally, then unfold it.

2. 

   Fold the paper in half vertically, then unfold it. The unfolded paper now has a crease pattern in the shape of a cross.

3. 

   Fold the left edge of the paper over so the edge meets the vertical crease in the middle.

4. Study the paper. Because of the original horizontal crease, the paper can be divided into a top half and a bottom half.

5. 

   Fold the top-left corner of the paper down diagonally so that the left edge of the top half meets the horizontal crease.

6. 

   Fold the bottom-left corner of the paper up diagonally so that the left edge of the bottom half meets the horizontal crease. You've now got a triangle on the left side of your paper with its point facing outside and its base running vertically.

7. 

   Fold the point of the triangle over until the point meets the base of the triangle. You now have a small triangle on the left side of the paper with its base as the left edge of the form and its point facing inward on the middle horizontal crease.

8. 

   Fold the point of that small triangle over on itself toward the left so that you've made a vertical fold in the triangle and the point is sticking out past the left edge. This point will be the plane's nose.

9. 

   Fold the bottom half of the paper form back behind the top half. You have a bottom layer and top layer that are the same. Lay the form down so that the nose faces left.

10. Study the figure. The bottom is straight and the right edge is straight and vertical. The top right of the figure is parallel to the bottom and straight. The top left of the figure, though, slants down. We'll call that the slanted edge for now.

11. 

    Make a diagonal fold on the top layer that starts just above the nose and allows the slanted edge to meet the bottom edge straight across. That makes wing one.

12. 

    Make the same fold on the bottom layer so the two sides of the form are the same. Now you have two wings. Slightly lift the wings so you can grasp the bottom of the Little Bird to throw it.

Tips & Warnings

• Make folds crisp and exact.

References

• "Origami Color Folding Paper Instructions," Kunihiko Kasahara
• The History of Origami

Resources

• Origami Instructions
• Alex's Paper Airplanes