IT'S TIME TO SOAR
Could you beat the longest distance of 53.22m? The best aerobatics? Or can you build a plane that stays airborne for more than 14 secs?
Watch this youtube video from the Paper Airplane World Championships.
What makes a winning build?
Hint: it doesn't just happen on the day.
What makes a winning build?
Hint: it doesn't just happen on the day.
Design Brief
You will need to engage in a series of learning and testing experiences to develop a STEM plane that balances the key features of velocity, durability and aesthetics to win this challenge. While the fastest plane may not always take out overall honours, your STEM planes must be able to glide and soar and remain airborne in the tests.
- You will be provided with an outline to the range of tools, techniques and equipment to be used in the production of your STEM planes, including paper, straws, tape and glue. However the experimentation, selection and use of alternative materials is greatly encouraged.
- Your teacher will show you examples of STEM planes, some here on our STEM website, and will explain the basic functionality of flying. They will also allow lots of time for you to ask questions.
- You and your teacher will develop a criteria for success, for example:
So what makes a paper plane fly?
Paper Airplane Designs
A database of paper airplanes with easy to follow folding instructions, video tutorials and printable folding plans. Find the best paper airplanes that fly the furthest and stay aloft the longest
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What you need to do:
- Experiment by building and testing several types of paper planes.
- Measure the length and/or time of the flight. Testing must be repeated, and the results recorded in a table. Design the table to record your results
- Calculate the average distance travelled.
- Select the best paper plane based on the results and conduct further testing to determine factors affecting flight and what can be changed to improve the flight characteristics of the paper plane.
- Investigate and incorporate changes to your paper plane design. They will predict how changes will affect its flight. To maintain the integrity of the experiment and results, only change one variable at a time. Record the changes and record the results in a table.
- Activities related to lift – as lift refers to the force that pushes a plane upward, you will need to develop an understanding of the purpose and function of the plane's wings. Make changes to the shape of the paper plane’s wings based on this.
- Activities related to weight – add weights to your paper plane. This can be achieved by making the plane out of different materials such as thicker cardboard/paper or including items such as paperclips or coins.
- Activities related to thrust – thrust is the force that pushes a plane forward. In flight, thrust is usually produced by propellers or jet engines. Use straws and balloons that can be attached to the paper plane in order to simulate thrust. The angle of the forward propulsion may also be investigated.
- Activity related to drag – manipulate the size of the wings to demonstrate how drag caused by air resistance slows the descent of the plane. Gravity will pull the paper plane earthward while the air trapped by the wings provides an upward resisting force (drag) on the plane. You may wish to experiment by making the ends of the wings oval shaped or by adding wing tips that stick up from the end of the wing in order to reduce drag.
- Combine information learned about the four basic forces affecting flight: lift, weight, thrust and drag. Create the most effective and efficient paper plane(s) based on the data and research, including analysis of the results. Present your prototype(s) of paper plane(s) to be entered into a competition.
- There are THREE categories of winners:
- the paper plane that flies the farthest;
- the paper plane that stays in the air the longest;
- the most aerobatic paper plane.
Here are a couple of resources.
The first clip is a discussion with the world record paper plane designer. He emphasises throwing technique and the design also makes use of tape.
The second video shows how to make this particular plane step by step.
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Go make a plane:
"The sky's the limit"
"The sky's the limit"