On paper planes and an aside about new year resolutions

[chrisvenus]

This afternoon I've made some paper planes. We have just had a rebranding thing here so we have old headed paper that is obsolete and must be gotten rid of. So I came up with the idea of paper planes. Tomorrow there is due to be a competition to see who can make the best. I fully intend to lose embarrassingly as I always did when we made them during maths lectures - mine barely made it off the balcony we sat on whereas some people managed to hit the lecturer a good 30+ yards away (remember we had height on our side so not as impressive as it might sound).

Should be fun. Anybody got any stylish aeroplane ideas that I could try? The dart is boring. I have one that I made that I forget the name of but is basically a ring. To make it take a square of paper. Start from one corner and fold about half an inch in towards the opposite corner. Repeat this until you cross the half way mark. You should have a triabngle with the long side being a thick repeatedly folded strip about half an inch wide. Loop this long edge round to form a circle by tucking the ends into each other (or I guess paperclipping or something). This then flies, believe it or not (the ring goes first with the tail behind, I forget if the tail should be on top or on the bottom. Also if anybody can tell me the name of this type of thing or the mathematical principle involved I'd be greatful. I did know it (and indeed found the design of this plane on the internet alongside such details) but I can't remember any more.

I'm goign to try to bring my camera in to take photos of the competition. It should be good for a laugh. :)


And the aside about life. I've realised that I have achieved one of the three things that I wanted to this year. That is to get a pay rise and recognition from work. On the other two I'm making progress towards hopefully sorting out not having the same housing issues next year. Its slow and delicate progress but its being made. And the depression is still flitting around but not as bad as it was I think (though its hard to tell usually).

Edit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A656859 is the page I was thinking of with the plane that uses Compression Lift Technology. Also I declare tomorrow to be national paper plane day and encourage everybody to get their office lab, flatmates, whatever making planes for ten minutes at least tomorrow.

Comments

[evath.livejournal.com]

Try this http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/paper/airplane.html I recall them working well as a lad.

[evath.livejournal.com]

or this http://www.10paperairplanes.com/

Paper planes!

[padzor.livejournal.com]

Take an A4 sheet of paper, and fold it in half lengthwise as you would normally. Unfold this, and fold the left hand side into the middle, and keep doing this until you can't really fold any more (i.e. so you've got one side tightly folded, down to somewhere under a cm of paper, and the other side untouched). Now, fold the whole thing in half (so that the heavy end becomes the nose, and the unfolded side becomes the wings), and tear out a square from each side, so you have distinctive wings and a tail. You can play with flaps and curving the wings now if you like.

I've had huge success with this -- fifty yards across a road and onto the top of a tree higher than the launching point. Though it's worth pointing out that it is a glider and needs to be launched gently. There's no keel as such, so hold it by the tail in the fold with your forefinger on top and the thumb and middle finger below and just push forward.)

Hrm...

It's simple, honestly.. (I can draw up a guide if you'd like! ;) )

pads

basically a ring

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

We used to do these too -- used to include a penny in the fold so it sat at the bottom of the ring, that gave it just the right trajectory to drift down the length of the rake of our lecture theatre.

[susanofstohelit.livejournal.com]

a little late, but click http://www.plantraco.com/hobbies/product_butterfly.html