HOWTO make a prizewinning paper airplane

Cory Doctorow:
A group of UK students have created a king-hell paper airplane for a competition. The Times of London covers the story, along with the team’s best tips for making your own prize-winning paper airplanes.

# The nose must be heavy to ensure stable flight. A paper clip on the nose should allow the plane to fly further

# If the plane tends to nose-dive because of the heavy nose, bend the back edge of the wings upwards slightly

# The centre of gravity should be towards the front to prevent the plane from stalling

# The wings should be angled upwards to give the plane a slight “Y” shape when viewed from the front

# Winglets added to the edge of the wings will reduce drag

# Check for symmetry by looking down the nose of the plane and refold it if necessary. It will not fly smoothly if it is not entirely symmetrical

# Be patient and make small adjustments rather than radical changes to the basic design


Update: Philip sez, “Though the judges lauded the Avenger’s design, it actually bombed at the competition. The winner was Spruce Moose

Originally posted by Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing Blog, ReBlogged by julianbleecker on Nov 24, 2005 at 10:53 AM

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