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Can you make your plane do loops?

This paper plane isn’t very fast, but with practice and adjustment, you can make it do loops!

You will need

• A4 paper

What to do

1. Rotate your paper so it’s wide, not tall.
2. Fold it in half and unfold to get a centre crease.
3. Here’s a tricky step! Fold the left top corner down so it touches the centre line. At the same time, make sure the crease goes through the bottom left corner.
4. Now, fold the right top corner down so it touches the centre line. At the same time, make sure the crease goes through the bottom right corner.
5. Fold the top edge over, about a centimetre down.
6. Fold the top edge over a second time.
7. And a third time.
8. And a fourth time.
9. Fold the plane in half down the centre line.
10. Fold the wings down, then out. In the plane we photographed, the wings are folded with creases about two centimetres from the centre line on each side. This will make the wings quite big. Try adjusting the wings to be bigger or smaller to work out which flies or loops the best!
11. Bend up the back edge of the wings to get some lift.

Did you know?

Loops aren’t perfect circles! The plane loses speed on the way up and speeds up on the way down, so the loop will be tighter at the top. If your plane runs out of puff before it finishes a loop, try throwing it harder, or bend up the backs of the wings to make it turn upwards faster.

More paper planes!

• A plane with canards
• A classic design with a special lock
• Tips and tricks to improve your designs

If you’re after more science activities for kids, subscribe to Double Helix magazine!