Origami Airplanes

Sometimes I've been asked to come into schools and teach Origami. One of my favorite models to teach is the origami airplane. Generally I am teaching these folds to Jr. High students, so I need to choose something that will capture their attention, and is relatively easy.

This also tends to be a hit with the boys, who think they know everything about paper airplanes, and what is some woman going to teach them about airplanes. So not all the models that I've tried fly well, in fact some don't fly at all, but they look real good!

So in teaching these folds, not only does the student get something really cool looking (better than what they already know), but sometimes they even fly. So after they fold it they have a great time chucking them around to see how far they go.

One book I found on Origami airplanes is excellent. "Origami Paper Airplanes" by Didier Boursin The last model in the book is the fighter squadron, and although it doesn't fly (and uses an odd size of paper for the nose) it looks really cool. I've created this one in larger stiff paper, and hung it up in a boy's room for a decoration. When it's done in the large scale it's very impressive. (I take it to the school to show as a demo, there are lots of oohs and aaahs from the boys).

But origami airplanes are not just for kids. They are making the news these days. Scheduled for early 2009, Japanese scientists will be releasing about 30 origami airplanes from the International Space Station. Each plane is expected to take several months to float down, and if any make it to the earth intact, it will have made the longest paper airplane flight ever (400km). Any successful airplanes to make it to earth may have a huge impact on the design of actual re-entry vehicles.

You can read more about this at the following link

Origami Space Plane Story