National Aviation Week · August 17–23, 2026

Paper Airplane Engineering Challenge

Fold four different paper aircraft with our resident artist, then print the reference sheet and build your own.

K–5th Grade 4 Plane Designs ⏱ 45–55 min

A flat sheet of copy paper cannot fly. Fold it the right way, give it one good push, and it will travel the length of a hallway.

Watch our resident artist Nikita Lai Jing Tse fold four different paper aircraft: the traditional dart, the glider, the box and the flyer. Print the reference sheet below for the fold diagrams, plus the small adjustments that change how a plane handles, like elevator flaps, wingtip folds and a paperclip at the nose. Then pick a design and fold your own.

Tutorial Video
Paper Airplane Folding Tutorial
K–5th Grade · Four designs folded start to finish, at your own pace
The Four Designs
Folded paper airplane, traditional dart design
Design 01 Traditional
Folded paper airplane, glider design with wide wings
Design 02 Glider
Folded paper airplane, box design with a blunt nose
Design 03 Box
Folded paper airplane, flyer design
Design 04 Flyer

Each design flies differently, and the only way to find out how is to fold one and launch it. Pick a design, measure how far it goes, then try a second design and compare the two numbers.

Fold Pattern Reference
Paper Plane Instructions and Tips
Fold diagrams for all four designs, plus elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width and nose weight
Download PDF
Paper Plane Instructions and Tips reference sheet showing fold diagrams for the traditional, glider, box and flyer designs, plus elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width, wing length and nose weight
Take It Further
Teaching this in a classroom? Run the full Paper Airplane Engineering Instant Lesson, with flight logs, team roles and standards alignment →

This Month™ · National Aviation Week · August 2026

© 2026 This Month™ · month.thence.us

Celebrate National Aviation Week with a paper airplane craft for K through 5th grade students. Watch a step by step video tutorial in which resident artist Nikita Lai Jing Tse folds four different paper airplane designs: the traditional dart, the glider, the box, and the flyer. Download the free printable fold pattern reference sheet, which includes diagrams for all four planes along with elevator flaps, wingtip folds, wing width, wing length, and nose weight adjustments. All you need is copy paper and a few minutes. For a full classroom version of this activity with measurement objectives and standards alignment, see the companion Paper Airplane Engineering instant lesson.