For the second part of our 'How to...' brief we were all allocated different groups under different titles. MY title was 'Paper' and therefore everyone with 'paper' related topics was grouped together. We then had to decide on a new 'How to...' based on the four we already had. Our four different titles were;
- How to write a bibliography
- How to make Paper Mache
- How to make a paper airplane
- How to create your own reading list
I came up with this initial idea 'How to make a Paper Mache airplane', however people thought this may be too complicated and confused and so we agreed to go with 'How to make a paper airplane'. We chose children aged between 5 and 8 as our target audience and the purpose of the brief is to educate and inform.
Here is some initial research;
Paper:
Material manufactured in small sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, printing on or as a wrapping material.
Of or pertaining to paper; made of paper; resembling paper; existing only on paper; unsubstantial; as a, paper box, paper army.
Airplane:
An aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets.
Paper Plane:
A paper plane, paper aeroplane (UK), paper airplane (US), paper glider, paper dart or dart is a toy plane made out of paper or paperboard; the practice or constructing paper planes is sometimes referred to as 'aerogami'.
Facts and figures relating to paper planes/aeroplanes/airplanes:
- The world record for the longest flight is 27.6 seconds held by Ken Blackburn.
- Longest distance thrown is 58.82m.
- Smallest one ever crafted was made from a piece of paper 2.9mm square using a microscope and tweezers. It sits on top of a needle.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
1. One sheet of paper. Common notebook paper or stationery should work quite well.
The paper used must be rectangular in shape with straight, smooth edges and square (90°) corners. In order to provide the necessary stiffness and ease of folding the paper's weight should be at least 18 pound but not more than 28 pound paper. The size of the paper is less important than the features already discussed. It may range from about 4x6 inches to about 11x14 inches (lighter weight paper is more suitable for smaller sheet sizes). The "weight" of paper offers an approximation of how thick and how stiff each sheet is. The term actually refers to the weight of a stack of 500 sheets of paper (of a certain size, which I have forgotten; possibly 17x22 inches?).
2. A smooth, flat work surface.
The work surface should be at least as large as the sheet of paper and offer a firm, stable surface to support the paper while it is being folded.
3. OPTIONAL: One pair of scissors or paper shears.
PROCEDURE:
Step 1
Fold the paper in half lengthways. Crease this fold well, then reverse it (open up the folded page and fold it along the same line in the opposite direction; in other words, turn it inside out) and crease again. This fold is the foundation of all that follows and it is important that it is done properly. Ensure that the long edges of the paper are carefully aligned so that they are flush with one another over their whole length before creasing the fold. |
Step 2
Fold down the top left corner until the top edge of the left half of the page is aligned with the first fold.
Step 3
Fold down the top right corner until the top edge of the right half of the paper is aligned with the first fold.
Step 4
Fold the point down. Steps two and three form a "point" at the top of the page. Fold this point down (toward you) so that the flaps formed in steps two and three are on the inside of the fold. Make the fold as high up on the page as possible without folding or crushing the flaps which are on the inside of this fold.
Step 5
Fold in half lengthways (along the original fold from step 1) towards the back so that the folded-down point is on the outside of the fold.
Step 6
Tear or cut a notch in the upper corners. If you have scissors available they will provide an easier and more attractive way to make the notches. Remove a square (about ½ inch) from the outer corners. Make sure you do not cut your notch along the center fold.
Step 7Open the fold from step five so that the point is again on top and pointed toward the bottom of the page. The notched corners will be at the top of the page.
Step 8Fold down the top left corner so that the top edge of the left half of the page is aligned with the center fold. This step is very similar to step two.
Step 9Fold down the top right corner so that the top edge of the right half of the page is aligned with the center fold. This step is very similar to step three.
Step 10Fold up the tip of the point to hold the flaps in place. Steps eight and nine created two "flaps" which expose the tip of the point (which was created in steps three and four) through the notches created in step six. Fold the exposed tip of the point up so that it covers the edges of the two flaps. This will hold those flaps in the proper position during flight.
Step 11Fold the right side of the page back along the center fold so the the flaps and point are exposed on the outside. This creates two panels folded back-to-back along the center fold, with the notches and upturned point on the outside of the fold and the inside faces of the panels being smooth.
Step 12Rotate the page clockwise 90° so that the angled portion is to the right and the square end is to the left. Fold down the right wing. This fold lifts just the top panel created in step 11 and folds it "in half" so that the angled upper edge of the panel is parallel to and even with the original center fold (now at the bottom of the page).
Step 13Flip the page over, left to right so that the fold created in step 12 is down against the work surface and the angled edge is at the top and left and the square end (now possibly with the protuding tail of the wing created in step 12, depending upon the length-to-width proportions of the original sheet of paper) is to the right. Fold down the left wing. This fold is a mirror image of the one just completed in step 12. The angled edge is folded down so that it is parellel to and even with the original center fold.
Finished PlaneThe plane is now finished and ready to fly!
Paper Craft:
Paper folding looks almost effortless in the animations but can be frustrating with real paper. Even a reverse fold on a rudder which looks simple requires patience and some practice. Expect to learn about a plane by folding it several times and save your best effort (and paper) for last. Most folds involve corners and edges so the creases can be made exact. Others like the main wing fold of most planes can only be described as "about there". These folds are doubly difficult because they usually include many many layers of paper. By trying the folds different ways to see the effect on the airplane, the best way for each craft can always be found.
Basic Aerodynamics:
The study of forces that affect an object moving through air is known as aero-dynamics. The same forces that allow kites and gliders to fly apply to paper airplanes and real airplanes as well. In fact, all objects are affected as they move through air or air moves past them. Designers or airplanes, sailboats, race cars and even buildings rely on the same principles of aerodynamics. For airplanes, we consider 4 basic forces: gravity
thrust
drag
lift Now, if your interest in airplanes only goes as far a booking your holidays though fly.com or Expedia, you might not be interested in the details, but it is always good to have a basic understanding. If you are an avid paper plane-maker or you plan on getting a pilot's license then you might want to make understanding aerodynamics a priority! Let's start with gravity. Gravity is a constant force that pulls the plane toward the ground. Thrust usually comes from an airplane's engine but paper airplanes get thrust from you throwing them. Drag is the opposing force to thrust and is caused by friction of the plane's skin with air. Drag slows the plance reducing the wing's ability to generate lift. Lift is created when moving air above a wing creates lower pressure. A Swiss mathematician, Daniel Bernoulli, discovered this effect which you can demonstrate. Tape a piece of paper to a table edge and blow across it at lower pressure that the still air below it. This slight pressure difference causes the paper to rise. The same principle applies to curved wings found on real airplanes. Air moving over the top of the wing has to travel slighty farther (and so a little faster) than the air beneath it. This causes slighty lower pressure above the wing which creates lift. The best wing shape for lift depends on many things and usually is designed using a computer and a wind tunnel. Paper airplanes don't have curved wings so how do they fly? They use the angle of attack of their flat wings to create lift. Even though the paper wings are flat, you will notice that air movig across the top surface has to travel slightly farther (and faster). Lift is generated from the same low pressure (Bernoulli effect) as with a curved wing although not nearly as much. The total amount of lift also depends on air speed and wing size. Airplanes can fly only when total lift is large enough to counteract their weight. Since all the airplanes in this program weigh about the same, those with smaller wings fly faster. This happens because larger wings can generate enough lift even when they are flying more slowly.
Common Folds:
When making paper airplanes, it is very common to fold something in half. Often it's the whole sheet but many times it's a flap or a large diagonal. Fold things in half as accurately as you can. Most airplanes rely on each half being exactly the same for balance and straight flight. Another fairly common paper fold is called a reverse. This happens after a few creases are established in a flat sheet and then reversed to allow a section fold inside another. Usually the inside section will form the plane's tail or rudder. Another common fold in origami as well as paper airplanes is called water-bomb. It gets its name from the small paper cube based on this fold which will really hold water. After folding a sheet in half, fold both the large diagonals which square the sheet. Turn the sheet over and fold a crease through the center of the "X" made by the two diagonal creases. Now the sheet makes a complicated move we call the "praying hands" manuever. Both sides come up at the time to form an upright flap. Once in this position, the last step is to squash down the flap using existing creases until the paper is flat again. About half the planes in this program use this fold or a variation so it's important to be able to fold it well.
Paper Airplane Designs:
When you're just starting out with folding paper airplanes, it's a good idea to just follow the steps to the letter. As your skills improve and your confidence grows, you can start being more creative and experiment with new designs of your own. There are some important things to keep in mind when designing paper airplanes and this article will arm you with information to help you get a headstart in your fun journey. Paper Airplanes Don't Really Need Tails Some people think that tails are necessary for paper airplanes to become stable. This is simply not true. Most paper airplane designs do not include tails and even some real airplanes do not have tails. The B-2 Bomber comes to mind. However, the angle of the tail has a direct effect to the flight of the paper airplane. If you bend the end of the paper airplane's wings up, this would make it fly slower. Bend it down and it'll go faster. The paper airplane model dubbed as "The Best Paper Airplane In The World" has a tail. Wide Wings Are Good For Paper Airplanes But . . . Aviation terminology alert! The width of the wings from tip to tip is called the wingspan. Easy enough? Good. Now the distance between the front of the wings to the back is called the chord. Piece of cake! Now this is when it gets interesting. The ratio of the wingspan to the average chord is called the aspect ratio. Simply put: wide wing span + narrow chord = high aspect ratio . . . and vice versa. "But why does paper airplanes have low aspect ratio?" You may ask, observant reader. It's because paper isn't the best material for building flying things. A paper airplane with too high an aspect ratio can easily crumple with the force of the launch. Also, paper airplanes with low aspect ratio are easier to fold than the ones with high aspect ratio.
All data and information collected from JD cards. |
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