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Indoor Paper Airplane Walkalong Glider

Indoor Paper Airplane Walkalong Glider
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What's a walkalong glider? Here's a video of this indoor paper airplane walkalong glider design flown a distance of approximately 400m:


Building and flying your own airplane has always been high on the list of dreams of adventurous souls. Learning to build and fly the indoor paper airplane walkalong glider is a first step, off the grid and constructed from reused materials.

This instructable incorporates improvements on the Paper Airplane Walkalong Glider instructable. The improvements are as follows:

-Lighter paper- phone book paper instead of copier paper for slower speed and increased maneuverability
-Change in dimensions of initial sheet of paper (22cmX27cm) for pitch stability
-Central fold adds dihedral for better maneuverability
-Leading edges folded downward for softer stall characteristics
-Wedge cut out of tail section for reduced tail weight and better pitch stability
-Wedge fold in tail section for increased drag and slower flight

Please see the web page on Controllable Slope Soaring for more walkalong glider designs.
 
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Step 1Construct Ballast assembly

Construct Ballast assembly
The first step involves cutting out a 22cmX27cm (or equal aspect ratio) rectangle of light paper. Here phone book paper was used but waxed tissue paper works even better. Waxed tissue paper is only slightly heavier than tissue paper but holds it's shape much better. Waxed tissue paper is used by florists because it maintains its shape when wet.

The ratio of dimensions of the rectangle are important for ensuring the correct washout angle in the wingtips (changing the ratio will change the distance between the leading and trailing edges relative to the width of the wingtip).

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55 comments
1-40 of 55next »
May 12, 2012. 1:33 PMMic100 says:
Good work :)
May 10, 2012. 11:51 AMultrabuilder7 says:
How do you fly the airplane??? I try but it just goes down!!
May 6, 2012. 7:16 AMyapoyo says:
gotta clean up...
Mar 24, 2012. 6:36 PMhugamo67 says:
all mine does is do flips
Mar 24, 2012. 1:04 AMmbourhan says:
It works very good.....video instructions are all great
Feb 17, 2012. 7:48 AMEdward Nardella says:
I would really appriciate it if you updated this instructable so it can be completed without needing to see the video(s?).
Or if you uploaded the videos to instructables in WMV format.
I cannot complete this instructable unless you do this :(
Jan 25, 2012. 1:17 PMi love aircraft says:
how to turn fast. i only can turn a little bit.
Jan 1, 2012. 12:52 PMHiggs Boson says:
Will the cardboard trick work with any paper airplane glider or does it only work with yours? It doesn't work with a glider I made.
Jan 7, 2012. 10:34 AMHiggs Boson says:
thank you.
Dec 9, 2011. 11:34 PMjpawar says:
why does my glider always falls down????? answer please
Sep 9, 2011. 4:30 PMhernandez101 says:
hey i did the air plane but it did not work, any advices
Aug 20, 2011. 2:11 AMhocngiap says:
this is simply amazing
Jun 30, 2011. 5:43 AMknexmaster12 says:
why in the flying video does he have cardboard in his hands?
Jun 20, 2010. 11:07 AMmr BT says:
Where did you have 0.4km of hallway to fly this thing? I have three guesses. 1. the tunnels under the US Capitol Complex connecting Congress and office buildings to the Library of Congress, etc. 2. The Pentagon, 3. A particle accelerator. Am I close? BTW - my glider flies great. The plans were excellent. Thanks!
May 19, 2011. 6:43 PMtqwerty says:
City Hall! duh... XD
Jun 21, 2010. 1:58 PMApplebohn says:
I bet it's in some university
Jun 21, 2010. 7:36 AMThoth says:
I think it maybe the the Infinite Corridor that runs under the buildings at M.I.T.
Jun 20, 2010. 11:53 AMEpimetheus says:
Looks like a dorm ~~
Jun 23, 2010. 3:42 AMyztay says:
looks like a good way to keep in shape ;)
Jun 21, 2010. 8:30 AMJohnJY says:
I built it, but just can't get the plane to fly right. And when I mean fly right I fly at all. Oh well.
Jun 20, 2010. 10:40 PMMARIUSBMX says:
Oh! This is so cool, congratulations dude!!! I love the application of fluid mechanics in your airplane :P, plus I made one and it's so fun to chase it around my house :D.
Jun 20, 2010. 12:09 PMJaif14 says:
Cool. Similar to the one at sciencetoymaker.com
Jun 20, 2010. 9:35 PMkill1234 says:
Not really. This is like an airplane while the sciencetoymaker one is like a glider.
Jun 20, 2010. 6:33 PMculepet says:
maybe better or great if could fly outdoor hehe ^_^
Jun 20, 2010. 4:19 PMHelder4u says:
Fascinating, seems You are very intelligent. Should work with the real big stuff!
Jun 20, 2010. 1:31 PMaty says:
Great !!! TNX !
Jun 20, 2010. 10:50 AMzanethebrain says:
haha this is cool!
Jun 20, 2010. 7:20 AMLandMime says:
Good job, Man!
Jun 19, 2010. 9:17 AMhappybirthday says:
Wow, I made it and it works very well.
May 23, 2010. 7:13 PMShredder543 says:
Mine does a nose-dive when I start it.  What am I doing wrong?
May 19, 2010. 6:00 PMspartan711 says:
 Awsome
Sep 7, 2009. 10:24 AMcantrell8 says:
Wow 5stars!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 18, 2009. 8:24 PMJ@50n says:
when you go "after" it with cardboard, do you run walk or fast walk? just curious.
Aug 20, 2009. 11:49 AMJ@50n says:
thanks!
May 9, 2009. 10:35 AMMothys says:
beastly
May 7, 2009. 6:32 PMcarlwylde says:
You are great, Thanx :D
Apr 30, 2009. 7:13 PMsysproo says:
hi, it's a great work :) i'll do it too
1-40 of 55next »

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