How to make a delta paper airplane
Delta Paper Airplane (Delta Wing): try all 9 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
An Origami Tutor delta-wing paper airplane, also called an arrow or stealth plane: a sharp nose and two wide triangular wings over a shallow keel. It flies fast and steady.
- 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
- Keep the keel narrow and straight: it is all that holds the wings together.
- If the plane rolls to one side, check that both wings open to the same angle.
Your model is ready
Hold the keel near the middle and throw the plane level and firmly.
Step-by-step diagrams
- 1
Crease the middle
Fold the paper in half from left to right, crease it sharply, and open it again.
- 2
Fold the left corner in
Fold the top left corner down so the top edge lies along the center crease.
- 3
Fold the right corner in
Fold the top right corner the same way, so the two meet at the center crease.
- 4
Fold the left edge in
Fold the new slanted left edge to the center crease, making the nose sharper.
- 5
Fold the right edge in
Fold the slanted right edge to the center crease the same way.
- 6
Fold in half
Fold the plane in half along the center crease, with the folds you made on the outside.
- 7
Fold the first wing down
Fold the top wing down along a line half an inch from the body's fold and parallel to it, all the way from the nose to the back.
- 8
Fold the second wing behind
Fold the other wing back along the same line, so it matches the first.
- 9
Spread both wings
Spread the two triangular wings along their creases and turn the plane upright, leaving a shallow V above the narrow keel. Keep both tips a little higher than their roots.
- ✓
Finish
Hold the keel near the middle and throw the plane level and firmly.
Fold next
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Easy paper airplane ↗
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Paper glider ↗
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Distance dart ↗
An Origami Tutor distance dart: a slim dart whose point is folded down to lock the nose folds, so the weight sits up front and the nose stays shut on a hard, long throw.