Secret Plane Adjustments
Paper planes almost always need fine adjustments to make them fly
their best. The adjustments generally consist of small bends one way
or the other, depending on whether the plane stalls or dives.
Start by finding out how the plane flies. Give it a decent throw
outdoors and watch its descent. If it heads down to the ground quickly
and hits nose first then the plane is diving. If the plane
makes a series of dipping motions, where it rises then stops and then
falls as it recovers speed, then the plane is stalling.
Read below to see what adjusments to make in each case. Note that
often one adjustment will correct a problem too much so that a diving
plane becomes a stalling one and vice versa. Don't worry about this,
multiple adjustments can be used to cancel each other out. Just be
sure that each adjustment is bringing you closer to the equilibrium
point, that is the point at which the plane flies level.
Adjustments to the Plane When it is Diving
Try the following adjustments in the order that I have written them.
- Push a triangular section of the nose back in on itself (as
shown in the plane photo).
This adjustment is suitable for the plane only, not the bat
plane.
-
Fold
stabilizers into the wings by bending the last 10 mm of
each wing tip up at right angles to the wing as shown in the
figure. This can also be done whenever you think the plane looks
unsteady. This adjustment is suitable for the plane only, not the bat
plane. The bat plane already has stabilizers.
- Bend (without creasing) the top rear corners of the stabilizers
inwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
- Make flaps in the trailing edges of the wings by making two 8
mm tears in each wing on the trailing edge. Make each pair of
tears about 15 or 20 mm apart. Bend (without creasing) the
flaps upwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
Adjustments to the Plane When it is Stalling
Try the following adjustments in the order that I have written them.
You can change the order in which you make the adjustment, if you
like. Undo changes if they make the plane's flight worse.
- Push a triangular section of the tail back in on itself. The plane photo shows how this is done
at the nose.
-
Fold
stabilizers into the wings by bending the last 10 mm of
each wing tip up at right angles to the wing as shown in the
figure. This can be done whenever you think the plane looks
unsteady. This adjustment is suitable for the plane only, not
the bat plane. The bat plane already has stabilizers.
- Bend (without creasing) the top rear corners of the stabilizers
outwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
- Make flaps in the trailing edges of the wings by making two 8
mm tears in each wing on the trailing edge. Make each pair of
tears about 15 or 20 mm apart. Bend (without creasing) the
flaps downwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
Last modified: Fri Mar 20 15:12:11 1998
© Malcolm Goris
<mgoris@nfra.nl>