Ask someone to make a paper plane and usually they’ll make a paper dart. These fly well, but there are lots of other ways you can produce a plane from paper.

If you strictly want to just use a single piece of paper, then try the ring flyer. If you want to bend the rules slightly then use a drinking straw as a fuselage for a hoop flyer instead!

Challenge the children to make a paper aeroplane out of a single piece of A4. When they’ve all made paper darts unveil your ring flyer and see what they make of it. Sometimes it pays to think a little differently. This would make for a fun STEM investigation.

Ring Flyer

You will need: A4 paper, Sellotape

Take a sheet of A4 paper and fold it in half.

Take the edge with the crease in it, and fold it over about 1.5cm.

Fold this edge over another three times. Make the folds as tight and as even as possible.

Press the folds as flat as you can. Then start to curve the paper. Keep the folds on the inside of the curve.

Curl it round into a circle.Tuck one edge inside the fold so about a third of the paper is overlapping.

Stick the edge down with sellotape.

Your ring flyer is now ready to fly!

You can throw it much like you would throw an American Football with an overarm throw. Hold it so the crease faces forwards. Experiment with different techniques to see which works the best.

Hoop Paper Plane

This is a slightly different variation on the hoop flyer. You’ll need a drinking straw to make the body. I’ve used a plastic straw as I’m trying to use up my old stocks, but a paper straw will work just as well.

You will need : A4 paper, drinking straw, sellotape.

Mark out the paper into three pieces which measure 2.5cm by 13cm.

Cut the paper into three strips.

Take two of the strips and stick them together to make a hoop. Overlap each edge by about 1cm. Stick down with tape.

Roll the remaining strip into a hoop. Again overlap the edge by 1cm. Stick it down with tape.

Place one hoop at each end of the drinking straw and stick down with a little more tape.

Your flyer is complete. Throw it like you would throw a regular paper aeroplane. Hold the straw in the middle and throw it slightly angled upwards.

Investigation

There are various ways you could use these paper planes in an investigation. You could use different types of paper, change the diameter or the width of the hoops. You could change the length of the straw or add more hoops.

If you have any other great paper plane designs, let me know in the comments.