How to Make the Super DeltaRay Paper Airplane

Fast, long range and small, the Super DeltaRay is a futuristic looking drone fighter based upon the original DeltaRay.

The Super DeltaRay was created as a complement to its namesake to take advantage of the new spiroid canard design that has been cropping up in recent drone fighter designs such as the StratoFang and Super Starfighter. Because the basic airframe design of the DeltaRay was already nearly identical to these aircraft and their predecessors, adapting the new design aspect was of little difficult. The new canards improved stability as expected; with this increase in performance, I decided to publish the aircraft, feeling it a worthy complement to its namesake and two comparable aircraft.

TAA USAF Designation: D384-2

Step 1: Materials

Required:
1 Piece of 8 by 10.5 inch graph paper

Tape

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil

Stapler

Step 2: Begin Construction

Fold your paper in half so that half a box is at the crease line. Make two marks 8 boxes from one another and mark out the fuselage as shown. The counterweight should be made as a 2 by 3 rectangle with the vertical stabilizer two boxes behind it. Behind the counterweight folds, make the canards as shown by copying all lines as shown. Measure 1 box forward along the half box line and and make a mark; then make a solid horizontal line 5 boxes from it as shown. 2.5 boxes from either end of the solid horizontal line, make a vertical, perpendicular dotted line.

After the fuselage is made, take another sheet of paper that is folded in half along the lines of boxes. Mark out the wing as shown (1 boxes in length by 8 boxes in width, and a swept portion in front of this box of 1 box eliminated every box toward the front of the fuselage). Make a dotted line parallel with the center fold line half a box in from the wingtip. Then cut the wing out.

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

Note: 1 box = 0.25 inches

Step 3: Making the Fuselage

Cut out your fuselage and fold its counterweights into place. Cut off the extra vertical fin (but do not damage the canards in doing so). Cut along the solid line depicting the leading edge of the vertical fin and the trailing edges of the canards. Once this is done, fold along the vertical dotted line and cut along the solid horizontal line. Once the cut has been made, undo the fold, fold down the canards and tape where designated.

Step 4: Applying the Wings; Stapling

Cut out your wings and fold along the dotted lines made on them earlier. String the wings through the slit made earlier, then apply tape where designated. Apply one staple in the area of the counterweight then apply tape to the struts of the canards at the wings' surfaces as shown. This will complete the aircraft.

Step 5: Flight

The Super DeltaRay shares most its handling characteristics with the first variant; the canards help keep its larger wings rigid and stabilize the air, as well as providing some extra lift and lowering wing loading. Launches should be done at neutral or positive attitudes at medium to high speed. Launches can be done at a positive attitude, but launch speed should be increased (range may be reduced). Test flights should be conducted to see if any trim is required. Additional applicable surfaces include slats, flaps, flaperons, elevators, ailerons, spoilers, spoilerons, air brakes and a trimmable rudder. Enjoy!