Paper airplane templates
Fold along the numbered lines — 1, 2, 3 — and fly.
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Example
Example: the long-distance glider for a classroom distance contest, in six folds
A fourth-grade class holds a paper airplane distance contest in the gym. Settings: Plane “Long-distance glider”, Decoration “Stripes”, the page with the folding steps ticked, US Letter. paper-airplanes.pdf has 2 pages: the sheet to fold, its lines numbered 1 to 6, then the steps.
- Lay the sheet printed side up: the whole sheet becomes the plane, nothing to cut.
- Fold in number order and crease each fold with a fingernail. Folds 1 and 6 are valley folds (dashed lines), folds 2 to 5 mountain folds (dash-dot lines).
- Open the wings level, with a slight V seen from the front, and throw gently, slightly upwards.
| Fold | What the steps page says | Kind of fold |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fold the two top corners in to the centre line. | Valley |
| 2 | Fold the point down along the line. | Mountain |
| 3 | Fold the top corners in to the centre line, over the point. | Mountain |
| 4 | Fold the slanted edges in to the centre line. | Mountain |
| 5 | Fold the plane in half along the centre line. | Mountain |
| 6 | Fold each wing down along its line, one on each side. | Valley |
One plane per student: print the first page once for each. The folded-down point under the corners keeps the weight forward, which is what carries this glider farthest. For a contest between designs, “All five, one sheet each” gives 10 pages, each plane followed by its steps.
How it works
- Choose a plane — or all five — and a decoration.
- Print on plain paper (the whole sheet is the plane, nothing to cut).
- Fold along the lines in the order of their numbers: dashed lines fold towards you, dash-dot lines away.
Frequently asked questions
- Which plane flies farthest?
- The long-distance glider, with its folded-in nose that keeps the weight forward; the dart is fastest, the glider floats slowest. Try them all and have a contest.
- What do the two kinds of lines mean?
- A dashed line is a valley fold — fold the paper towards you so the line ends up inside the crease. A dash-dot line is a mountain fold — fold it away so the line stays on the outside.
- Why does my plane dive or stall?
- If it dives, bend the back edges of the wings up a little; if it climbs and stalls, bend them down. Make sure both wings are the same shape.
- What does “All five, one sheet each” print?
- Ten pages: each of the five planes (dart, glider, delta wing, long-distance glider, stunt plane) followed by its page of folding steps. Untick the steps page and it is five sheets, one plane each.
- What does the colour set number change?
- The decoration only: a new number gives other colours and moves the stars, spots and shapes. The plane, its fold lines and their numbers stay exactly the same, so a group can fold the same model in different colours.
- Which paper is best?
- Ordinary printer paper (80 g/m²). Thicker paper is harder to fold sharply; crease every fold with a fingernail.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The templates are drawn in your browser.