Incredible book! Incredible author! Not like any other paper airplane book. The author explains the science and engineering behind making paper airplanes fly, even including a recommended tools list. The book explains it all in a very complex yet simple to explain way that children and adults are sure to enjoy. A small child (with help from an adult) all the way to people 100+ years old would tremendously enjoy this book.
Highly recommend!The author went above and beyond when I contacted him about buying this book for my nephew aspiring to be an aeronautical engineer. Not only was the author willing to answer any questions we had before purchasing, he even has a Facebook page where you can contact him for help if needed while working on your paper airplanes.Do yourself a favor and buy this book. You are sure to be pleased! Collins has published several other books of planes and just gets better at illustrating how to fold them and explaining the nuances of making one perform. Many of the paper planes I've made over the years were dogs despite being advertised as great.
This book helped me understand why. A slight miss-crease here, a bad fold there, and they usually added up to disappointment and were quickly consigned to the recycle bin. Collins discusses and illustrates how to tune your plane so it doesn't disappoint. In addition, there is a lot of easily understood information about the aerodynamics that allow these planes to fly. Who knew there is a correct and incorrect way to throw a plane? There is heavy, colorful, tear-out paper for some of the planes in the back of the book.
But, I'll just continue to use regular printer. If you only buy one book of paper airplanes this year, of course, it should be one of mine. But, if you're looking to broaden your aerial experience, Philip Rossoni has written 'Build and Pilot Your Own Walkalong Gliders'.It's a remarkable volume for it's breadth of flying models, from paper to foam to insect cadavers. Phil walks you through the construction (although not capturing and drying). More importantly, he teaches you how to fly them. With some practice, you'll be easily smashing the Guinness flight duration record for paper airplanes. (Guinness banned this kind of airplane from their records for paper aircraft.
Paper Aircraft Models Free Download
Rossoni is an accomplished commercial glider pilot. Few of us in the folded flight world have his depth of experience at the visceral level. I include a couple of planes like this in my book 'Fantastic Flight'.
Free Paper Card Models
Build this 1903 Wright Flyer Using Meat Trays and ToothpicksThe Celebration of the Centennial of Flight in December of 2003 is an excellent time to teach about the development of the airplane. This page contains a list of easy to access models that can be used with students to illustrate forces of flight, the parts of an airplane, weight and balance, and basic design principles.Some of the models are easy and others require some time and effort for assembly. Most of the materials are basic classroom supplies, but a few may require a trip to the nearest hardware store.
Have fun!Don't forget to take a look at the NASA Educator Guides at the end of this page. There you will find helpful classroom tips and activities to make your study of flight a lot more fun and exciting.GlidersWright GlidersUse these plans to construct models of the 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903 Wright Brothers' aircraft using Styrofoam meat trays and toothpicks.Space ShuttleThis NASA Educational Brief provides a hands-on activity for building a model of the Space Shuttle. McEagle Styrofoam Glider757 GliderEach glider challenge calls for students to develop abilities to identify and state a problem, design a solution, implement a solution, and evaluate the solution.McEagle Styrofoam GliderThese are plans for building a high-performance glider out of Styrofoam food trays and packages. Supplies include Styrofoam meat tray, Exacto knife, glue, sand paper, tape, scissors, marker pen, and a dime.X1 GliderInvestigate the basics of flight with a paper model of the first supersonic aircraft.The Right GliderYounger students can construct this flying model glider as they learn how weight and balance affect the performance of an airplane.Airplanes & WingsFlying Wing - Construct an aerobatic flying wing from a Styrofoam tray. Materials include a 10-inch Styrofoam tray, a sharp cutting knife, an emery board, sandpaper, or metal file, cellophane tape, a dime, a marker pen and scissors. Four-Wing BoomerangBoomerangBuild and fly a four-wing boomerang from a manila file folder.
Instructions for building finger boomerangs from index cards can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.AirplanesSOFIA Model AirplaneThis is a one-page pattern of the aircraft used by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. The pattern can be downloaded and printed for easy use by students.Paper Airplane ModelThis simple paper airplane can be folded using a single piece of paper.Paper Jet ModelAll you need for this model is a piece of paper, a stapler, and a paper clip. Follow the illustrated instructions and fold a jet model in a matter of minutes. All ages will like this one.Other Fun Things to BuildBuild a Table Top AirportStudents can learn about the parts of an airport as they construct this model with a runway, ramps, a terminal, hangar, windsock, and maintenance buildings.