How to Make a Printable Paper Airplane
Paper airplanes have been around for years, possibly dating back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci (some people credit the artist with creating paper planes). Regardless of its origins, the classic, inexpensive toy remains popular today. Using modern technology, you can create printable paper-airplane patterns and immortalize great designs. This can be a fun activity for kids, who can share their designs with friends.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper, 8 1/2-inch by 11-inch
- Ruler
- Marker
- Computer
- Scanner
- Photo-editing software
- Printer
Instructions
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Make a Paper Airplane
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1
Fold a paper airplane. Create your own design or click on one of the links in the Resources section for inspiration.
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2
Test the airplane to see if it flies well. Make adjustments if needed, or try a new design. Continue testing until you are satisfied with your plane's flying ability.
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3
Unfold the plane. Do not flatten the paper completely; you need to be able to see in which direction the folds were made.
Trace Your Airplane Design
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4
Study the folds of the airplane. Note whether each fold comes upward, like a mountain, or goes downward, like a valley.
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5
Using a ruler and a marker, trace a line over each fold. If it is a mountain fold, draw a solid line. For valley folds, draw a dotted line.
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6
Mark each line with a number representing the order in which the folds should be made, if the airplane has a complicated design with many folds.
Transferring Your Design to the Computer
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7
Place the unfolded, marked plane on your computer's scanner. Use the scanner to capture an image of the page. Save the file as a .gif, .jpg, or .png file.
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8
Use photo-editing software to make any adjustments to the airplane. You can also add graphics to your design.
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9
Print the finished design and use the lines as a guide for folding a new airplane.
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Tips & Warnings
Online services are available to convert image files to Adobe Acrobat .pdf files, making them convenient to share online.
If your paper airplane flies too steeply upward or downward, a paper clip on the base of the plane can be used as a counterweight to correct the problem.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
