The Boomerang Paper Airplane

Most paper airplanes have one thing in common: they fly in a straight line. Ours, however, can fly back to you just like a boomerang, hence its name: The Boomerang Paper Airplane.

Paper Type

There are two main aspects that come into play when making this paper plane: the weight of the paper and the stiffness.

The ideal paper is a 24lb. Ink Jet paper from Georgia Pacific. This paper has just enough weight that the plane will have sufficient momentum and be able to hold the folds properly. If you don't have this paper then any printer paper (8.5in x 11in) will work fine.

The project results can vary depending on how closely you follow these directions.

Start with the short side of the paper pointing up, then fold the paper top to bottom.

After folding the paper in half, mark the center of the fold by just pinching the paper.

You don't want to crease the entire page this is just making a mark that we can refer to later.

After, you want to keep the open end of the paper facing up.

From the left edge of the paper to the mark you just made in step 2 make another mid way point by pinching the paper again.

Now, make a diagonal fold starting at the pinch mark you made in step 3 up to the top left edge of open end of your paper.

Perform a squash fold of the bottom of the diagonal.

A squash fold is performed by opening the bottom of the diagonal and folding it into itself down the center. If you do this correctly you should end up with two "flaps".

Fold the left "flap" created in step 5 to the back of the paper. So one is in front, and the other is on the back.

This is when the steps start to get a little more complex so make sure to follow closely.

Now you should have a pocket near the bottom of the diagonal fold on each side. You need to take the corner at the top of the diagonal and line it up with the pocket corner as close as possible. Go ahead and make a hard crease in the paper.

Do this step to both sides of the paper.

Both sides of your plane should be symmetrical at this point.

Take the top layer of paper and lightly fold it over itself so the angle of the fold is parallel to the pocket corner.

Take corner at the tip of the wing and bring it down all the way to the bottom (be sure that tip does not cross over the bottom of the plane).

Make a fold along the top of the layer you just made.

Flip the paper over and repeat step 8 and stick both sides of the top layer into the pocket. If you did this step correctly the top layer should fit into the pocket perfectly.

Don't worry about creasing the plane too much while trying to perform this step. It's more important to make sure that the plane has the right foldings than looking perfect.

Make a fold from opposite corners on the top layer for each side.

Make sure you don't fold over the bottom of the plane. Refer to the circle in the first picture for specification.

Take the plane so the tips of the wings are facing you, open it up, and squash the tip down.

Flip the plane over and fold the tip between the two wings. The tip should be aligned with the center crease.

Continuing on the same side fold the plane in half along the center line.

With the bottom of the plane facing you fold the wing down making a fold that is parallel with the bottom of the plane.

The height of front and rear of the plane should be equal and it should be about 3/4 in.

A small triangle should show up on the top side of the plane. Repeat this step on the other side.

Now we are going to make the winglets. Winglets should be parallel with the top of the plane. Fold the tip of the winglets to be about 1/3 of the total length of the plane.

Your plane is finished!

Now hold the plane at its tip and tilt it at an angle so the plane will curve towards its lower wing. Your plane should fly in a circle and come right back to you. Throw the plane gently or else it will just crash into the ground immediately.

The type of paper you use, its weight, the precision you used while folding, and the force of the throw will determine your results.

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