How to make an arrow paper airplane
Arrow Paper Airplane: try all 11 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor arrow plane: a long, slim body with a needle point and two short wings. It is quick to fold, stiff in the hand and flies fast and straight.
- You need
- One sheet of letter paper (A4 works too). No glue or scissors.
- Start
- Lay a sheet of letter paper in front of you, short edge at the top.
- Tips
- Crease the two edge folds sharply and keep them straight: the slim body is what makes it fast.
- If the arrow dives, bend the back edges of both wings up a little.
Your model is ready
Hold the body near the middle and throw it level and firmly.
Step-by-step diagrams
Steps 1–6
- 1
Crease the middle
Fold the paper in half from left to right, crease it, and open it again.
- 2
Fold the left edge in
Fold the left edge over to the center crease, along a line halfway between them.
- 3
Fold the right edge in
Fold the right edge over to the center crease the same way. The paper is now a narrow strip.
- 4
Fold the left corner in
Fold the top left corner over to the center crease.
- 5
Fold the right corner in
Fold the top right corner over to the center crease. The top is now a blunt point.
- 6
Fold the left edge of the point in
Fold the new slanted left edge to the center crease, making the point sharper.
Steps 7–11
- 7
Fold the right edge of the point in
Fold the slanted right edge to the center crease the same way.
- 8
Fold in half
Fold the arrow in half along the center crease, with the folds you made on the outside.
- 9
Fold the first wing down
Fold the top wing down along a line from the nose to a point about an inch and a half from the body's fold at the back.
- 10
Fold the second wing behind
Fold the other wing back along the same line, so it matches the first.
- 11
Spread both narrow wings
Open both short wings away from the slim body, like the feathers of an arrow. Leave a shallow, even V with both tips a little above their roots. Then turn the plane upright, keel below.
- ✓
Finish
Hold the body near the middle and throw it level and firmly.
Fold next
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Easy paper airplane ↗
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Distance dart ↗
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