Napkin Paper Airplane

This is a simple design to make but in order for it to fly properly you must practise and that is why it is of medium difficulty. This unusual plane is one of a family of designs and hopefully I will bring you more tubular paper airplanes in the future.

Video Instructions

Written Instructions

Take a square of paper and fold it in half along the diagonal line shown in DIG. 1

Now fold the long edge over 0.5cm (1/5″) and repeat 4 times creasing hard as shown by dotted lines in DIG. 2

Now tuck the ends of the folded edge inside each other to form a ring. Crease the thick folded ring repeatedly to make perfectly round. The fold should be on the inside as shown in DIG. 3

It is now a fully functional plane but can be improved by rolling the tip of the triangle of paper around a pencil then unravelling it and making a cut to about 1/3 the length of the triangular area right down the middle of the plane. As marked in DIG. 4

Flying Instructions

This plane in the simple form without the cut or rolling around a pencil was shown to me by Shaun Wilde in an email. It is best thrown overarm with the heavy end first.

It can be made to spin like a stunt plane. When the plane is cut in half you make one of the curled up sides more strongly bent than the other. This will give different drag on either side and cause the plane to spin.