Aubrey Falconer - The Starfighter - a fast and versatile airplane

The Starfighter - a fast and versatile airplane

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Complete instructions to build your own Starfighter from nothing but a piece of paper!

Submitted By admin on 05/08/10

Aubrey Falconer, projects, paper airplane

The starfighter paper airplane flying in formation with Locheed F-104 Starfighters

The Starfighter is a fast and versatile paper airplane named after the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (seen above).

Building the starfighter is easy, and doesn't require tape, glue, or scissors.
Follow the instructions below and you will soon have a starfighter of your very own!

Start with a peice of paper Preparation:

Start with a sheet of 8.5 X 11" paper.

For maximum flying performance, it should be clean and free of previous fold lines.

Step 1:

Fold a strip of the top of the paper down towards you.
Be sure to crease the fold well!

Step 2:

Fold the top strip down again.

You are creating a concentration of paper which will move the center of gravity of your airplane forward. This is one the secrets of a good paper airplane!

Step 3:

Fold the right and left sides of the paper in.

This will give the leading edge of the wing of your starfighter strength and rigidity!

Step 4:

Fold the top strip down again.

Step 5:

Fold your aircraft in half lengthwise.

Once unfolded, it should look like the image on the right!

Step 6:

Fold the top left corner of your aircraft down, then repeat on the other side.

Looks like it's about ready to fly, doesn't it?

Step 7:

Fold the top strip down one more time to create the cool looking nose cone.

Step 8:

Fold your aircraft in half, then unfold about 1/2" above the first fold line to create the "fuselage".

Repeat on the other wing to make it symmetrical.

Congratulations:

You are now the proud possessor of a genuine Starfighter!

While flying the paper airplane should be self-explanatory, there are several steps required to get the maximum performance from your Starfighter:

1) The preflight check: Before flying your aircraft, hold it by the fuselage and examine it's profile from behind. There are two things you want to look for:
First of all, make sure that the wings are symmetrical. This is important for a straight flight. Secondly, make sure that both wings point upward to form a slight "V" shape. This is called dihedral, and helps to keep your aircraft stable in flight.

2) The launch: Hold the fuselage of the Starfighter in your hand between your thumb and index finger. To launch the aircraft, push your arm away from yourself and release the aircraft as soon as your arm is fully extended.

3) Post-flight adjustments: If your aircraft crashed into the ground as soon as you launched it, try bending the back of both wings of the Starfighter up. If it flew up into the air until it stalled, bend the trailing edge of both wings down a little. If your plane turned to the left or right, see step 1. If that didn't help, try bending one of the wings down and the other up to compensate for the tendency to turn.

For even more fun, start a competition! show your friends how to build a Starfighter, and then see who's plane can glide the longest, do the coolest stunt, or land nearest to a target!