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.
  1. 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.
  2. Diagram
of the stabilizers 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.
  3. Bend (without creasing) the top rear corners of the stabilizers inwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
  4. 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.
  1. Push a triangular section of the tail back in on itself. The plane photo shows how this is done at the nose.
  2. Diagram
of the stabilizers 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.
  3. Bend (without creasing) the top rear corners of the stabilizers outwards. The amount of the bend can be varied as needed.
  4. 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.

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Last modified: Fri Mar 20 15:12:11 1998
©  Malcolm Goris   <mgoris@nfra.nl>