How to Make the Grasshopper Paper Airplane

Small, stealthy and simple, the Grasshopper is an easy to make flying wing paper airplane which can be made out of a single sheet of paper with no tools or tape required. The Grasshopper is meant as a simpler complement and trainer to advanced types like the Turbo Omniwing and Turbo AeroDelta.

As I had developed the Spartan and Dracula which did not need anything besides a single piece of paper to construct, I decided to make an extremely simple flying wing which could also fulfill that requirement. Several configurations were tried before I settled on one reminiscent of the Skyhawk. In flight testing, the new type proved quick and fairly docile for a flying wing. As a result of these positive attributes, it was approved for publication.

TAA USAF Designation: TA201-1

Required:
1 Piece of 8.5 by 11 inch Paper

Optional:

Tape

Pencil

Scissors (additional surfaces only)

Ruler (additional surfaces only)

Fold the paper in half along its length, then along its width. While it is folded in half along its width, fold the corners inward as shown. After doing this, open the paper to unfold it as pictured.

With the paper folded along the length fold crease, fold the corners down on each side as shown. After this, lay the paper out flat and pull the nose back to the X fold. Pull the paper back over itself as shown. When this is done, the paper should look as it does in the last photograph.

Pull the trailing diagonal edges of the overlaying folds from each side into the center. After this is done, pull the triangle tip of the forward nose backwards to the limits imposed by this step's first folds. Tuck the forward edges of the first folds into the triangle section as pictured. Once this is done, pull the sections of the airfoil folds not secured forward as shown and crease. After making the crease, reverse the fold and tuck them underneath the airfoils.

Pull the edges of the paper into the center crease and crease on each side. Pull the edges back outward to the creases that have just been created by the previous fold. Pull the paper so that these various folds are perpendicular to one another to complete your Grasshopper.

The Grasshopper is a basic paper airplane which is meant to help new origami aviators looking to transition from less finicky types to flying wing paper airplanes, which tend to be more temperamental than conventional paper airplanes. By design the aircraft is designed to handle running into surfaces edge on; generally only minor trim changes are required (if any are at all).

Launches should be conducted at negative or neutral attitude at low to moderate speeds. The plane should be held with two fingers above and one finger below the middle surface and advanced forward in the air, then released. Tape maybe added to the airfoil folds to improve performance at higher speeds. Additional applicable surfaces include elevators, rudders and ailerons. Enjoy!