Science for fun

Why paper planes fly, and how to make yours fly further

5 min read · with a tiny game inside

Almost everyone has folded a paper plane at least once: in a classroom, at the office, or on a slow Sunday. It takes ten seconds to make and it still feels a little bit like magic when it glides across the room. So what is actually keeping that sheet of paper in the air?

Four forces, one sheet of paper

A paper plane obeys the same rules as a real aircraft. Four forces act on it all the time: lift pushes it up, weight pulls it down, thrust moves it forward and drag slows it down.

A real airliner gets its thrust from engines. Your paper plane gets its thrust once, from your arm, and then spends the rest of the flight slowly trading height for distance. That is why a good paper plane is really a good glider: the goal is to lose as little speed and height as possible on the way.

✈️ Fly the paper plane

Score 0 · Best 0

Ready for take-off?

Tap to climb, dodge the storm clouds and collect stars

Tap the screen (or press Space) to give your plane a little lift.

Five fun facts about paper planes

Paper came first, then flight. Paper was invented in China about two thousand years ago, and paper kites were flying there long before anyone dreamed of aeroplanes.
Leonardo da Vinci filled his notebooks with sketches of wings and flying machines, and historians believe he tested some of his ideas with small paper and parchment models.
Engineers still use them. Folding and throwing paper models is a cheap way to show how wing shape, balance and angle change the way something flies.
The first powered flight was short. The Wright brothers' first flight in 1903 lasted about 12 seconds. A well-folded paper glider thrown from a height can stay up for a similar time.
There are world records. People compete for the longest time in the air and the longest distance thrown, and the best throws cover more than half a football pitch.

Three tips for a better flight

1. Make sharp folds. Run your thumbnail along every crease. Crisp, symmetrical folds keep the wings even, so the plane does not roll to one side.

2. Put the weight up front. A plane that is too light at the nose climbs, stalls and drops. Folding the nose a few extra times moves the balance point forward and gives you a smooth glide.

3. Throw gently, not hard. It sounds wrong, but most paper planes fly best with a smooth, level push. A hard throw usually makes them loop or dive.

Try this: bend the back edges of both wings up by just a couple of millimetres. These tiny "elevators" lift the nose a little and can make your plane glide noticeably further.

Your turn

Grab a sheet of paper, try the three tips above and see how far you can get across the room. And if there is no paper nearby, scroll back up and beat your best score in the game. Happy flying!