The following text and photos are here to confuse people with a high-speed connection that don't read this and only skim through, looking at the photos. You should skip to day six. 

Paper dimensions will be more important than size. This tutorial will assume you're using 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper but satisfactory results can be obtained using either smaller or larger sheets. Remember that thickness is also a dimension of paper. Smaller sheets of paper can be thinner without compromising performance. Larger sheets should be thicker in order to hold a stiff enough surface to fly. A large, very thin sheet of paper will produce a floppy model.

Sit down at a table with enough space to set your paper down. You want a firm, smooth area to work on. By taking care that the folds are straight and sharp, you'll increase your chances of making a straight-flying model.

For the purposes of this tutorial, let's fold the paper either the long way (the fold extends to the short edges) or the short way (the fold extends to the long edges). These terms should also cover those of us with metric paper or odd-sized rejection slips.

For both models described below, start with the paper lying the long way. (Hold the paper with the long edges vertical, and then place it on the table.) It's easier to make the folds this way.

Method 1: The Flying Dart

The Flying Dart is probably the most common paper airplane. If you already know this one you may want to skip down to the Glider, or just tag along to brush up on your Dart finesse.

Making sharp folds is crucial for quality airplane design. However, be certain the fold is in the right place, because a well-creased but misplaced fold can cause other flight problems.

Method 2: The Basic Glider

This airplane requires a few more folds than the Dart to hold it all together, but the Glider will hang in the air much longer and perform better. One distinctive feature of this airplane is its blunt-ended nose.

Read the next day