How to make a long-distance paper airplane
Long-Distance Paper Airplane: try all 10 steps in the 3D player. Turn and replay every move. Print the complete diagram sheet or save it as PDF.
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.
- 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 every nose fold hard: a tight, thin nose cuts through the air.
- For distance, throw hard; if it climbs and stalls, bend the back edges of the wings down a little.
Your model is ready
Pinch the body just behind the nose and throw hard and straight, a little upward.
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 narrower.
- 5
Fold the right edge in
Fold the slanted right edge to the center crease the same way.
- 6
Lock the nose
Fold the tip of the point straight down, about two inches, over the folds you just made. This small triangle holds the nose folds shut.
- 7
Fold in half
Fold the plane in half along the center crease, with the nose folds and the lock on the outside.
- 8
Fold the first wing down
Fold the top wing down from the nose, so its slanted top edge lies along the bottom of the body.
- 9
Fold the second wing behind
Fold the other wing back the same way, so it matches the first.
- 10
Spread both wings
Open both long wings along their root creases, keeping the folded nose locked. Leave a shallow V, with both tips a little higher than the roots. Then turn the plane upright, keel below.
- ✓
Finish
Pinch the body just behind the nose and throw hard and straight, a little upward.
Fold next
Paper airplane ↗
The classic dart: a sheet of letter paper, a sharp nose and two wings, ready to fly across the room.
Easy paper airplane ↗
An Origami Tutor paper airplane with the fewest folds: two corners, one fold in half and two wings. A good first plane for kids, with broad wings that glide gently.
Paper glider ↗
An Origami Tutor paper glider with a blunt nose and broad, straight-tipped wings. Thrown gently, it floats slowly across the room instead of darting.
Delta wing plane ↗
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.