How to Make the Super Voyager Paper Airplane

The Super Voyager is an updated version of the Voyager paper airplane with a larger wing for longer range flights. The Super Voyager is a fairly simple drone paper airplane and is remarkable forgiving. It is an excellent aircraft for introduction to miniature paper aviation.

The Super Voyager was not an aircraft that had been planned on more than a few days prior to publishing. Originally, I had hoped to replace the Albatross and Dragonfly paper airplanes with an aircraft that did not have a constant chord wing. However, in testing, modernized Cardinal and Dragonfly variants experienced difficulties and as a result, delays. To fill in in at least an interim slot, I decided to design a newer, slightly larger variant of the Voyager with greater long range abilities than its basis. The effort in designing the Super Voyager was rather conservative, but the resulting aircraft is still excellent.

This is one of my most versatile aircraft too, and with that versatility it can work in several roles; such as testbed, demonstration cruiser and messenger aircraft. The Super Voyager may be useful for educators seeking to introduce students to aviation, flight dynamics, physics and geometry among other topics.

Some potential experiments possible with this airframe include:
•Glide ratio
•Weight and balance
•Hangtime versus other aircraft
•How surface inequality can affect aircraft (geometry/shape studies)
•Physics experiments

TAA USAF Designation: D187-2

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. Mark out the wing as shown (3 by 16 boxes). Then mark out the horizontal stabilizers as 2 by 3, plus a swept portion with a sweep of 1 box 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 Making and Taping the Fuselage

Begin making your rudder by separating it from the other vertical stabilizer. Then cut one of the two layers of paper where the rudder should be off (I usually cut off the left myself). After you've cut these boxes off, you may discard them. Then, after having cut out all of the fuselage. Begin folding it along the dotted lines. Then fold your vertical fin along the dotted line and cut along the solid line in the center of the fuselage and then unfold.

Step 4: Applying the Wing, Horizontal Stabilizers and Stapling

Now it is time to work with your Voyager's wing. Cut your wing out and unfold it. Flip your airframe inverted and apply tape to the spars. Then join the fuselage and the wing at the spars. Then put your horizontal stabilizers through their given attachment point. Fold them up and then apply tape to their undersides, attaching them to the fuselage. Once this is done, apply one staple to each side of the counterweight.

Step 5: Flight

The Super Voyager is a stable little paper airplane capable of many types of flights. For longest range flights, give your Super Voyager a moderately fast toss. Additional applicable surfaces to the Super Voyager include flaps, slats, ailerons, flaperons, elevons, air brakes, and a trimmable rudder. Enjoy!