How To Fold The Barracuda Paper Airplane

Based on a design by H. Riley Watkins Difficulty: Moderate Paper Size: Letter

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start with a sheet of medium weight letter size paper.
2. Fold the paper exactly in half along its long edge. Unfold after the crease has been made.
3. Fold the upper left corner down so the upper left point hits the center line crease. When folded correctly, the left half of the top edge should line up with the center line crease.
4. Fold the upper right corner down so the upper right point hits the center line crease. When folded correctly, the right half of the top edge should line up with the center line crease.
5. Fold the point at the tip of the nose down so it hits the right edge of the paper. When folded correctly, the upper right diagonal edge should line up with right edge of the paper.
6. Unfold the flap created.
7. Fold the point at the tip of the nose down so it hits the left edge of the paper. When folded correctly, the upper left diagonal edge should line up with the left edge of the paper.
8. Unfold the flap just created.
9. Flip the paper over keeping the nose at the top.
10. Make a crease to fold the nose down. When folded correctly, the new horizontal crease should go through the the point on the center line created by the diagonal creases.
11. Unfold the flap just created.
12. Flip the paper over and prepare for the next fold.
13. Pop the left and right horizontal creases up, bringing the points at the ends of the creases in and down towards the center of the paper. Bring the nose over and down pressing the whole fold flat.
14. Fold the nose back over on top of itself. The left and right points of the new crease should be at the points on the left and right edges of the paper.
15. Make a crease to fold the point at the left edge of the paper over. The top point of the fold should be at the tip of the nose and the bottom point should be at the lower tip of the triangular flap.
16. Unfold the flap just created.
17. Fold the inner point on the left triangular flap out so the point hits the inside diagonal crease. The top point of the crease should be at the tip of the of the nose.
18. Fold the point on the left edge of the paper back over about the existing crease. This hide the flap you just made.
19. Make a crease to fold the point at the right edge of the paper over. The top point of the fold should be at the tip of the nose and the bottom point should be at the lower tip of the triangular flap.
20. Unfold the flap just created.
21. Fold the inner point on the right triangular flap out so the point hits the inside diagonal crease. The top point of the crease should be at the tip of the nose.
22. Fold the point on the right edge of the paper back over about the existing crease which hides the flap you just made.
23. Flip the plane over so the flaps just created are underneath and the nose is pointed away from you.
24. Lift up the bottom edge of the topmost layer of paper. This will expose the flaps created during the previous folds.
25. Fold the left  triangular tip over and into the body of the plane. The crease should be as near to the other topmost flaps as possible.
26. Fold the right triangular tip over and into the body of the plane in the same way. The crease should be made as near to the other topmost flaps as possible.
27. Close the topmost layer of paper down onto the main body. Press the whole plane flat.
28. Fold the plane exactly in half about the existing center line crease. Be sure to line up the wing flaps for good balance.
29. Rotate the plane around so that the nose points to the right and the wing flaps are up.
30. Make a crease for the first wing flap which continues the line of the top of the flap from the tip of the nose. The left point of the crease will hit about three finger widths up from the bottom edge of the fuselage on the left.
31. Flip the plane over so the first wing flap is underneath and the nose points to the right.
32. Fold down the outer edge of the wing flap. When folded correctly, the tip of the triangular flap will fold down to hit the existing crease and the edge will continue the line of the crease all the way to the corner.
33. Do the same on the other wing. Fold up the outer edge of the wing flap. When folded correctly, the tip of the triangular flap will fold up to hit the existing crease and the edge will continue the line of that crease all the way to the corner.
34. Fold the second wing flap. Be sure to line up the wing flaps for good balance.
35. Open the wing flaps and adjust the wing angles so they are even. The wings should be flat during flight so adjust the dihedral angle accordingly. The flaps under the wings should hang straight down.
36. The Thow - Launch with a moderate flat throw. If the craft dives for the ground, flatten the dihedral angle and try again. A very small amount of up elevator can be added if it continues to dive. Make sure the flaps under the wings are straight up and down.