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Building Paper Airplanes

Dec 27, 2006

Turn your homework assignment into a high-performance flying machine. Find out how to build the meanest paper airplanes.

Tips For Building A Paper Airplane

  • Building paper airplanes is easy, fun and extremely cheap - all you need is some paper (an old math test or letters from your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend work great), a pair of hands and a smooth surface.
  • Make Good Folds - A good plane starts with good folding. Take your time and make sure your folds are smooth and even. Sloppy folds = crappy plane.
  • Check Your Symmetry - Planes should be even on both sides. The left wing should mirror the right wing. If you fold your plane so that one side is different from the other, it won't fly straight.
  • Check and Tweak - If your first plane doesn't fly great, tweak the wings and make sure the plane is even.
  • If Your Plane Crashes, Start Over - You can always find more paper - so if you're first plane doesn't work out, build another one.

The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

If you'd really like to take paper airplane building to a new level, then check out the Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes. It's got instructions and designs for how to build ten of the best paper airplanes you've ever seen. The book even comes with 40 sheets of paper in a variety of patterns including leopard print, hot-rod flames and camouflage. These are blow-your-mind designs that will impress your friends and maybe even get you a trip to the principal's office! For more info, head to the Klutz official site at www.klutz.com

Paper Airplanes - Did You Know?

  • The longest flight for a hand-launched paper airplane is 27.6 seconds, set by Ken Blackburn of the USA, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 8, 1998.
  • In 1998, a group of students in Virginia designed a paper airplane with a 30-foot wing span that traveled 114 feet!
  • The longest distance travelled by a paper airplane is 200 feet.
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