How to Make the HelioVulcan Paper Airplane

Fast, long range and versatile, the HelioVulcan is a very capable paper airplane able to fly long distances at high speed. The HelioVulcan differs from previous Vulcan variants, primarily in its canard design which has been altered to improve high speed performance.

The HelioVulcan, while indeed a derivative of previous Vulcan variants, is not tied directly to one of my Vulcan variants. Instead, the HelioVulcan was developed from TriKdAnG/Paper Artland'sVulcan Warrior (which had itself been developed from the Turbo Vulcan). When I discovered and tested the Vulcan Warrior, I was quite fascinated by it. The aircraft had been reconfigured as a glider, with the canards' angle of incidence versus that of the wings changed.

After testing the Vulcan Warrior for myself, I decided to design a new variant that took advantage of new ideas and structural changes presented in the Vulcan Warrior. While I considered for some time the idea of changing the wing planform of what was to become the HelioVulcan, I eventually decided to retain the same design as previous Vulcan variants. Likewise, I decided to also make the angle of incidence of the canards equal to of the wings at zero degrees (parallel with the center crease at the bottom of the fuselage) to make the wing and winglet folds easier. These commonalities meant much of the rear of the design was common with previous Vulcan variants, lowering its construction complexity for origami aviators used to the previous versions.

When I made the first HelioVulcan prototype, flight testing went well and the aircraft proved itself a fast and impressive performer. The aircraft showed itself to be stable and no more complex than similar aircraft like the Turbo UltraVulcan and Turbo UltraSabre. Following the successful testing, I tried constructing two prototypes based upon the HelioVulcan, which are now in testing.

TAA USAF Designation: F292-18

Step 1: Materials

Required:
1 Piece of 8.5 by 11 inch paper

Tape

Pencil

Ruler

Optional:

Scissors (additional surfaces only)

Step 2: Length and Nose Folding

Fold your paper in half length-wise. Then pull the paper down so that the crease stretches from the fold at the front you just made and the corner of the paper on the other side. Repeat on the other side. Pull the edge of this layer back toward the crease on each side and then open these folds. Fold the edges into the creases as shown, the pull the creases of these corner folds into themselves as shown.

Step 3: Canard and Nose Folding

Fold the previous folds along the existing creases as shown, then pull the overhanging paper back away from the center crease. Repeat on the other side. Pull the tip of the nose back until its tips meet the apex of the diamond; then tuck the edges of the paper underneath the other layers as shown. After this is completed, pull the now blunt tip of the paper down to the trailing edge of the paper. Once this has been done, measure 1 inch from the resulting crease and make a mark. Proceed to then pull the paper forward again and crease at the mark as shown. After making the crease, undo the fold and bend the edges of the paper to the crease. Pull the nose forward again to cover these new folds.

Step 4: Canard, Wing and Winglet Folding; Taping

Fold down the canards whilst keeping their leading edges aligned with the nose to maintain an angle of incidence of zero degrees. At the trailing edge, make marks 1 inch from the center crease and 1 inch from the wingtips along the trailing edge of the wing. Following this, fold down the wings at the mark you made previously. Align the trailing edges of the wings with that of the fuselage to keep the angle of incidence at zero degrees. After this is finished, fold the wingtips down at the marks you made previously.

Apply tape to the nose above and below the canard, as well as to the dorsal LERX-wing joint. Then apply tape to the rear of the fuselage and over the wing root near the trailing edge. Once this has been done, apply tape to the ventral LERX joint and canard folds to secure them to the fuselage. This will complete your HelioVulcan.

Step 5: Flight

The HelioVulcan flies similar to other dart paper airplanes; anyone familiar with other Vulcan variants should have little difficulty transitioning to the type. Launches should be done at neutral or positive attitude at moderate to high speed. Additional applicable surfaces include flaps, elevators, ailerons, flaperons, elevons, rudders, air brakes, canard trim and an "electronic warfare" tail. Enjoy!