Like my other designs, this plane requires no cutting, and no weights, and is made from a single whole sheet of ordinary copier paper. On this plane the blunt end isn't really needed for balance, it's there for safety and ruggedness.
This plane is called the "Hybrid" for two reasons: It's a mix of PL2 and PL3, and I couldn't think up a better name! Like PL3, this plane seems to prefer the great outdoors. I have my best flights when I throw it upwards - at about a 60 degree angle. The ones I've made seem to like to do a single barrel roll on the way up, then settle into a nice smooth spiral down. By the way, I lost two of these to the garage roof, so make sure you have plenty of room to fly.
Note the addition of the little flaps on the winglets. They are optional, but I like the way this plane flies better with them. As an experiment, try making PL-4s with and without the tabs, then compare the flights.
---Joseph Palmer
Step 1
Fold an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper down
the middle of the long dimension. Don't panic. Just look at
the pictures. On the left I'll show you what you're starting
with, and I'll mark (in blue) where you're going to fold. On
the right you'll see what you should end up with after each
step.
Step 2
Next fold the two upper corners in at a
45-degree angle. Be careful here to line these up, and do
not let the flaps cross the middle of the paper. Use the
middle fold as a guide.
Step 3
Fold the upper point over and crease.
Step 4
Next fold the new upper corners in at a
45-degree angle. Be careful here to line these up, and do
not let the flaps cross the middle of the paper. Use the
middle fold as a guide.
Step 5
Undo step 4. (We need the creases for the next
step)
Step 6
Using those creases as a guide, fold the
corners as shown. What we are doing is building up an
airfoil at the leading edge of the wing.
Step 7
Using the edge of paper as a guide, fold the
corners again, as shown.
Step 8
Make the final fold for the wing leading
edges.
Step 9
Fold the tip over. Look closely at the
drawing, don't fold too much, we just want to take the sharp
edge off the nose.
Step 10
Fold the plane in half.
The angled lines below the picture show what the plane
would look like from the back.
Step 11
Fold the wing over to form the fuselage. Make
the body nice and even. (You can see that it's even if the
trailing edge of the wings makes a nice straight line)
Step 12
Flip the plane over, and fold the other
wing.
Step 13
Lay the plane out flat.
Step 14
Fold the winglets as shown. Make them about
3/4 of an inch (About 20 mm).
Step 15
(Optional) Fold the trailing edge of
the winglets over to form small tabs. These tabs slow the
plane down a little, but they also make it more stable, and
you will get longer flights.
Step 16
(Optional - Part 2) Unfold the tabs and
adjust to about a 30 degree angle. (You should make
adjustments to these tabs based on test flights)
Step 17
Uncrease the winglets. Inspect their leading
edges carefully, if they are twisted -- even a little -- the
plane will not fly well.
Step 18
Flip it over, and shape the wings as shown.
Now take it outside!