How to Make the Strike Hornet Paper Airplane

Designed to replace the previous Super Hornet drone-fighter paper airplane, the Strike Hornet features a high mounted, cropped delta wing for great high speed performance. The Strike Hornet is a simple miniature paper airplane that is much simpler than the Super Hornet.

Designing the replacement for the Super Hornet began around the time it was published. I felt that although it was a capable aircraft, it had several elements that made it somewhat outdated (it had--in fact--been designed months earlier). These parts were primarily portions of the empennage. To modernize the aircraft, I decided to redesign the aircraft significantly, placing the wing further back from the nose and replacing the tail assembly with a type similar to the marvelous Super Manx. With these new features, the prototype Strike Hornet excelled. The complexity and induced drag inherent on the Super Hornet were greatly reduced on the Strike Hornet. More features became available for addition to the Strike Hornet airframe and it became more adaptable than its predecessor.

The Strike Hornet is one of my best "drone-fighters" to date, no doubt. I am very proud of this airplane, and am quite sure many aviators to come will be satisfied with it too.

Like many of my airplanes before it, the Strike Hornet is very adaptable, and is suitable for use as a fighter-interceptor, stunt and/or research testbed airplane.

Some usages for educators could include studies of:

Glide ratio
Hangtime versus other aircraft
Weight and balance

TAA USAF Designation: D205-1

Step 1: Materials

Required:
1 Piece of 10.5 by 8 inch graph paper (4 boxes per inch)
Tape
Stapler
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil

Step 2: Begin Construction

First, begin by folding your your graph paper in half (excluding three boxes on the perforated side). Once the paper has been folded appropriately, make two marks--15 full boxes apart. Use a ruler to make a straight line with the length of 15 boxes directly up 1 row of boxes from the two marks you just made. Then make the rudder, spars, landing gear and counterweight as shown. Follow the photograph markings. Then, below the rudder, mark a line that stretches 3 boxes. 1.5 boxes back from the beginning of this line, make a dotted line vertically. Once all is marked out, cut out the fuselage.

After the fuselage is made, take another sheet of paper that is folded in half along the lines of boxes.The construction of the wings should be started by sketching a line with a slope (sweep) of 1:1. The chord should be 5 boxes long at its center and the wingspan should be 10 boxes total. Then mark out the horizontal stabilizers as 1 by 3 boxes, plus a swept portion with a sweep of 2 boxes of chord decaying every 3 boxes outwards from the wing root. Then cut it out.

Solid lines indicate places to cut. Dotted lines indicate fold lines.

Note: 1 box = 0.25 inches

Step 3: Making the Rudder and Fuselage

To begin work on your Strike Hornet, cut it out. Then cut one of the two rudders off. Continue to fold along the dotted lines. When you get to the rudder, fold along the dotted vertical line and then cut along the solid horizontal line. Once this fold is undone, tape at the designated points.

Step 4: Applying the Wing

Unfold your wing and flip your airframe inverted. Tape the wing to the fuselage by applying tape to the spars, with the overhang grabbing the wing. Once finished, fold up the outer tips along the dotted lines.

Step 5: Applying the Horizontal Stabilizers and Stapling

Cut out your horizontal stabilizers and thread them through the fuselage beneath the rudder. Fold them up once through and tape them to the fuselage. The dihedral deflection is ~35-45 degrees. Test flights may be required to trim the horizontal stabilizers. Then apply one staple in the area of the counterweight. Your Strike Hornet is now ready for flight.

Step 6: Flight

The Strike Hornet is a fairly simple drone paper airplane. The Strike Hornet is stable and can be trimmed easily. Launches at moderate speed and neutral attitude give the fastest, longest range flights. Ground operations and storage are easy with the aircraft's simple landing gear. Additional surfaces applicable to the Super Hornet include ailerons, flaps, flaperons, slats, spoilers, spoilerons, elevators, and air brakes. Enjoy!