How To Fold The Gazelle Paper Airplane

INSTRUCTIONS

Creating the high-tech pods in the nose section of this fighter requires some careful folding. Start with a medium weight letter size sheet.

1. Creating the high-tech pods in the nose section of this fighter requires some careful folding. Start with a medium weight letter size sheet.

2. Fold the sheet exactly in half by bringing the long edges together. Unfold when finished.

3. Bring the upper left corner down to the right edge of the paper. When folded correctly the upper edge of the paper. Unfold when finished making the crease.

4. Repeat with the upper right corner. Bring the upper right corner down to the left edge of the paper. When folded correctly the upper edge of the paper lies exactly along the left edge. Unfold when finished making the crease.

5. Turn the sheet over from right to left keeping the creases just formed toward the top.

6. Make a new crease by bringing down the top edge. The corners should meet the edges exactly where the diagonal creases meet them. The crease should go exactly through the meeting point of the diagonal crease. Unfold when finished making the crease.

7. TUrn the sheet back over from the left to right keeping the creases made toward the top.

8. Fold the top flap down again, this time bringing up the two triangular sections. All the creases should be in the right direction for this move to occur naturally. When finished, the two triangular flaps should be tucked under the top flap.

9. Lay the wor flat and press down all the creased.

10. Fold the top triangular flap on the left side over to the right. Keep the bottom edges lined up and make a vertical crease so that the tip of the triangle just touches the center line crease. Unfold when finished.

11. Position the paper so you can now work on the triangular flap just formed.

12. Fold the triangular flap over again but this time make a crease so that the left edge of the flap ends up horizontal and parallel to the bottom edge of the paper. The bottom point of this crease should hit the vertical crease made on the previous step.

13. Fold the flap back to the left to form another vertical crease. Keep the top horizontal edges of the flap lined up and make sure the tip of the flap just hits the long diagonal edge of the paper.

14. Bring the flap back to the right again forming a new crease. Make sure the left diagonal edge of the small flap lines up with the vertical right edge exactly. Press down all the flap creasese tightly.

15. Unfold all of the flap creases just made.

16. Fold the flap up so that the tip meets the point at the nose of the plane. Make sure the diagonal edges of the flap stay lined up. The lower point of the new crease should hit the center line crease exactly.

17. Unfold the flap and position and the paper to work on all the flap creases formed earlier.

18. Pick up the top layer of the triangular flap at the middle of the lower edge. As this point raises up, the left tip of the large triangular flap will move to the right and end up right at the center line crease.

19. Carefully raise the tip which is now at the center line and force it to pivot along the creases formed earlier. This difficult step can be done in two stages but all the creases needed for this complex move already exist.

20. Press everything flat and position the paper to work on the same flap on the right side.

21. Fold the top triangular flap on the right side over to the left. Keep the bottom edges lined up and make a vertical crease so that the tip of the triangle just touches the center line crease. Unfold when finished.

22. Reposition the paper so you can work on the flap just formed.

23. Fold the triangular flap over again but this time make a crease so that the right edge of the flap ends up horizontal and parallel to the bottom edge of the paper. The bottom point of this crease should hit the vertical crease made on the previous step.

24. Fold the flap back to the right to form another vertical crease. Keep the top horizontal edges of the flap lined up and make sure the tip of the flap just hits the long diagonal edge of the paper.

25. Bring the flap back to the left again forming a new crease. Make sure the right diagonal edge of the small flap lines up with the vertical left edge exactly. Press down all the flap creases tightly.

26. Unfold all the flaps and creases just made.

27. As before, fold the flap up so that the tip meets the point at the nose of the plane. Make sure the diagonal edges of the flap stay lined up. The lower point of the new crease should hit the center line crease exactly.

28. Unfold the flap and position the paper to work on the flaps and creases created earlier.

29. Pick up the top layer of the triangular flap at the middle of the lower edge. As this point raises up the right tip of the large triangular flap will move to the left and end up exactly at the center line crease.

30. Position the paper to work on the tricky part.

31. Carefully raise the tip which is now at the center line and force it to pivot along the creases formed earlier. This difficult step can be done in two stages but all the creases needed for this complex move already exist.

32. Turn the sheet over and press everything down.

33. Bring up the top layer on the right to form a crease which runs from the nose of the plane down to the lower right corner exactly.

34. Repeat on the left side. Bring up the top layer on the left to form a crease which runs from the nose of the plane down to the lower left corner exactly.

35. Turn the plane over from left to right keeping thenose toward the top.

36. Fold the nose down toward you so that it exactly hits the center line crease just at the bottom edge of all the flaps. The diagonals of the nose should line up with existing diagonal creases.

37. Rotate the complex flap on the left created earlier along the existing crease.

38. Repeat on the right. Rotate the complex flap on the right created earlier along the existing crease.

39. Reposition the plane and fold it exactly in half along the existing center line crease. Make sure all the edges line up correctly.

40. Reposition with the center line fold at the bottom toward you.

41. Bring the top wing down to form the first wing fold. The left side of this fold just hits the base of the triangular blue flap about one finger width above bottom edge. On the right, the crease is about one and one half finger widths above the bottom edge.

42. Turn the plane over from top to bottom keeping the nose of the plane toward the left.

43. Make the second wing fold by bringing the wing up to match the one beneath it. Make sure all edges line before making the crease. There are many layers of paper now so you must press down hard.

44. Open the plane and adjust all the angles to make them even. The dihedral angle should be set level or slightly up since it will tend to relax and open up a bit in flight.

THE THROW - Launch with a moderate to hard throw after adding some elevator to the back of the wings. Once balanced between the weight of the nose and the lift from the up elevator the Gazelle will fly far and fast.