Swept Wing Card Stock Glider

I used a diamond-prism fuselage for this design. It's a good foundation that I've employed previously (see Card Stock Delta Jet Airplane), and I offer it as a starting point for your own designs.

Expect to spend about two hours making this glider. Having some experience with paper airplanes and paper crafting is recommended. A lot of precision is required to get the glider to fly well, so work slowly. Knowledge of balsa gliders or RC planes will also help a lot, but a basic knowledge of airplanes and flight may suffice.

Supplies

-Sheet of 8.5" x 11" card stock (preferably 65 lb.)

-Two standard paper clips (approx. 1.25" long)

-Glue stick and liquid white glue.

-Scissors

-Ruler or straight edge

-White pencil or marker (optional)

Step 1: Download and Print

Print or photocopy the plans onto card stock.
The document is 7.5" x 10". Print at 100% scale.

Step 2: Cut Out Pieces and Make Creases

Be patient and try to cut exactly on the inside edges of the black lines. Dotted lines indicate creases, and grey lines are references for assembly.

To establish the creases on the main piece, use a straightedge or rigid ruler. Whatever your particular technique, make sure to hold everything down firmly. The dull side of a thumbnail, a pen cap, or even a guitar pick can be helpful tools.

Gently get all the creases to the point of being able to bend 90 degrees. The middle three folds are "mountains". The next on either side are "valleys", where the fuselage is folded back onto itself at 180 degrees. The last remaining to creases are "mountains".

Step 3: Brace the Fuselage

Glue the two side pieces onto the nose. Make sure to use a thin layer of glue that covers the whole surface of the piece. Make sure the reference lines for the next piece (a center, ventral brace) are facing to the outside.

Glue the mirrored panels of the fuselage together. A glue stick works well for this step; you can use a scrap piece of paper to prevent glue from getting on the wings.

Next, use liquid glue to attach the center brace on the bottom of the fuselage. Press it down and make sure the whole surface has bonded. Allow another few minutes for the glue to set up, during which time you can start shading in the windscreen.

Step 4: Finishing the Fuselage and Wings

Restore the diamond shape of the fuselage. Practice pinching the nose layers together. Apply a reasonable amount of liquid glue to the inside area, pinch, and hold for a few minutes (or use a clothespin).

At this point, you may want to finish adding creases to all of the remaining pieces. If not, you'll at leas need to crease the four wing-root braces and the two wing tips. Attach the larger pair of wing root braces first. While allowing the glue to dry for a few minutes, hold the wings up slightly to establish start establishing dihedral. Each wing is raised about 5 degrees above horizontal. Add the smaller wing root braces, then finish the wing using the reference lines and the images above to guide you.

You may notice that the wing becomes polyhedral with the addition of the wingtips. The wingtips should be raised about 10 degrees relative to the main sections of the wing.

Pinch along the lead and trailing edges of the wings to curl them down slightly. This contouring of the wings will add lift and improve their span-wise rigidity.

Step 5: Attaching the Stabilizers

The horizontal stabilizers are part of a single piece that glues to the inside of the fuselage. A dab of liquid glue is recommend here. Once that has set up for a few minutes, attach the brace across the bottom.

Glue the main sections of the pair of vertical stabilizer pieces together, but NOT the small tabs. When ready to attach the stabilizer to the plane, apply glue to the tabs and hold it in place for a minute as the glue bonds.

Step 6: Finishing Touches

You will need some traction to hold and throw the glider. Make two tiny bricks out of the six rectangle pieces. Hold the plane in a comfortable throwing position and mark where your middle finger and thumb make contact, then glue the bricks on the marks.

Check the glider from different angles, especially from nose to tail, and make sure it is as symmetrical as possible. Imperfections, such as twists, can be fixed with repeated reshaping.

Lastly, slide the paper clips into place.

Step 7: Test Flights and Adjustments

This glider is small and light, so minor changes affect the flight significantly. When adjusting the rudder or elevators, make tiny adjustments—100ths of an inch at a time.

Conduct your test flights outdoors only if the air is nearly still. If it is not, try to find a large room or courtyard. Throw the glider gently, straight and level. If it consistently pitches up, lower the elevators a tiny bit and/or slide the paper clips forward 1/16". If it noses down consistently, make opposite adjustments.

If the glider rolls left or right, check the wings and try to gently work out any asymmetries. If the glider tends to drift in one direction or the other, adjust the rudder. Adjusting the rudder to the left side of the plane will cause it to turn left.

Perhaps you don't want it to go straight! This glider is certainly capable of loops and long, banking turns. After a few dozen flights (or a few nasty collisions), the wing roots may loosen up and the fuselage will sag below the wing tips more and more. To fix this, add a strip of clear adhesive tape about 5" long across the bottom of the wings, crossing the fuselage in the middle.

CAUTION! This glider could cause injury to the eyes. Throw in open spaces, far from bystanders.