BBC Focus Magazine

[10_Rufus]

discuss planes here!

For example do you prefer the 'dart' style planes to the glider and acrobatic ones? what makes a plane stable in flight? and what does that allow you to do when coming up with new planes

[M Paul Lloyd]

I tend to opt for the traditional dart Rufus as favoured by Barnes Wallace, who I believe once claimed it to be the most perfect aerodynamic shape possible? One tip I would advise though is to give the trailing edges a slight upward angle to improve slow speed pitching stability.

An an aside I have often wondered when the first paper dart/plane was made and flown, given that model aircraft were flying long before manned flight and paper was available from arond the same time it must have occured to someone at some point to give it a try?

[Thinker]

Well, how did we get onto this subject?

I like the traditional paper aeroplane, but I like to give it a tail as well, by tearing it at the back where you hold it and then folding it up through the centre. Looks cool and is able to maintain straight and level flight for 2 hours...Honestly!

[M Paul Lloyd]

Well, how did we get onto this subject?

It evolved from another thread Thinker.
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[Shadowwolf]

...and what does that allow you to do when coming up with new planes

I don't, have one of those build a plane calendar - each nicely designed - knocking about of which I have fallen well behind as some take quite the effort to build and what does one do with 365 paper planes?