Paper Airplane Project

Alec Biggerstaff

Period 5
9-9-15

Introduction:
This project was performed for the purpose of designing a paper airplane that flies fast, at
least 30 feet, and accurately hits targets. The materials were constrained to four sheets of printer
paper or construction paper, four inches of tape, and four paper clips though not all materials
were used for the final design.

Materials List:

1 sheet of regular 8.5 by 11 printer paper.

0.5 of regular Scotch Tape.

Description of Operation:
The paper airplane project operates by gliding on the air below it when given a forward
velocity by a human arm. The wings of the plane catch the air underneath it to provide lift and
the bottom vertical part of the plane acts as a rudder to keep the plane stable in the air. The plane
is weighted so that the front is balanced with the back so that the plane does not stall or dive into
the ground, but remains relatively level with the direction of gravity.

Explanation of Competition:
The project was tested by measuring the distance thrown, the speed of flight, and the
accuracy of flight of the paper plane. The greatest distance thrown out of two trials was measured
by throwing the plane twice from the same spot and using measuring tape to measure the
distance between the thrower and the first spot the plane touched the ground. The speed of the
planes flight was measured by measuring the amount of time it took for the plane to travel
fifteen feet after being thrown. The accuracy of the plane was measured by noting how many
targets of various size, shape and distance that the plane could hit out of four.

Distanc
e1

Distanc
e2

Time
1

27
0.5
Performance and data:

- = no measurement
X = did not hit target
1 = hit target

Time
2

Target 1
large
bulls-eye

Target 2
hula
hoop

Target 3
spinning
wheel

Target 4
balloon
cluster

Makeup
Target
trashca
n

Bonus Pts

18

The plane flew unpredictably and inconsistently, but sometimes went perfectly straight
when held and thrown a certain way. Because the tip was blunt, it did not take much damage,
but the bluntness may have taken away from the planes accuracy. Upon performing this
experiment again, I would make the plane more streamlined and with a sharper tip to make it
fly more accurately.

Calculations:
1. Speed = Distance / Time
2. Speed = 15 feet / 0.5 seconds
3. Speed = 30 feet per second

Conclusion:
The goal of the project was to remove design inadequacies in traditional paper airplanes
by creating a paper airplane that travels farther, faster, and more accurately. Multiple prototypes
were created and tested until a final design was selected for testing. I thought the project was
interesting because it utilized basic physics to improve something that is so simple and easy. It
required a lot of trial and error, as well as research, both of which are main aspects of
engineering. I think my plane flew the way it did (slowly and inaccurately) because it had large
wings and was not streamlined, making it more suited for flying in wide open spaces rather than
inside a building. The design I created was more suited for gliding rather than cutting through the
air like a dart, and gliding is fundamentally slower and less accurate because it is more
susceptible to wind change and throwing position.

Appendix:

Picture of final paper airplane

Picture of distance testing

3-D model of paper airplane