What effect does wind have on a paper airplane? Your challenge is to create various paper airplanes and test them in the wind. Humans have been creating various things that fly for hundreds of years. By exploring the principles of flight, testing out materials, and observing the wind we can learn a bit more about the effect wind has on airplanes.

Make my way back home when I learn to fly.

Activity Type

Challenge

What You Need

Paper

Tape

Scissors

Before You Start

Think about the ways things move in the wind. Why does the wind make them move? What are some things that move in the wind? What are things that don’t move in the wind? What does an airplane or jet look like in the sky? And on the ground?

What You Do

Build and test a paper airplane.

1) Select the paper: What type of paper would work best? What size do you think it needs to be? Have a few types and sizes of paper. Most paper airplanes start with a rectangle (but yours doesn’t have to!)

2) Fold the paper: Here is one way to fold a paper airplane – but there are many others. Use this one first, then try to build your own design.

• Start with a rectangular piece of paper, fold the paper in half vertically

• Unfold the paper and fold each of the top corners into the centre line, where you just made the fold.

• Fold the top edges into the centre line. The paper should have a sharp point and you should see 2 triangles on either side.

• Fold the paper in half with the folds you just made on the inside.

• Fold the wings down by folding the paper back long the long side of the airplane. Matching the top edge with the bottom of the body is helpful.

• Add some tape to the nose or point of the airplane. This will help the airplane to stay together.

3) Test: Take the paper airplane outside. Throw the airplane toward the wind. Throw the paper airplane in the same direction as the wind. What do you notice?

Explanation

There are four main principles of flight, and their interactions help us to explain flight. They are weight, lift, thrust, and drag.

Weight is the force of gravity. It acts in a downward direction—toward the center of the Earth.

Lift is the force that acts at a right angle to the direction of motion through the air. Lift is created by differences in air pressure. If lift becomes greater than weight, then the plane will accelerate upward. If the weight is greater than the lift, then the plane will accelerate downward. When you see birds flying in a formation, one reason is because it creates lift for the birds behind them helping them to conserve energy.

An airfoil is any surface that produces more lift than drag. This is important for your paper airplanes. Airfoils are seen in the wings that lift the plane, the fins that add more stability and the flaps that control the airplane.

Thrust is the force that propels a flying machine in the direction of motion. Engines or muscles can produce thrust.

Drag is the force that opposes thrust. Imagine sticking your hand out the window of a moving car and flying your hand. The force that pushes your hand back is called "drag". As your hand pushes on the wind, the wind also pushes against your hand. Drag is caused by friction and differences in air pressure.