How to Fold Paper Airplanes

As children, it's a right of passage to learn to fold a paper airplane. Some learn to fold many great patterns while others don't. I know how to fold one paper airplane, but I am a girl. I am not trying to be sexist, in my opinion and experience; boys learn to fold more paper airplanes than girls do. My daughters like to fly paper plans and often ask me to fold them. This led me to look for additional patterns online. I was happy to find a variety of websites with folding directions to more planes then I could ever care to learn to fold. But if you are looking for patterns, here are some of the best sites out there.

http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.php
These directions are grouped in easy, medium and hard to construct.

http://www.10paperairplanes.com/
As the site is titled, there are 10 paper airplanes to fold here. The great thing about this site is that they are animated step by step, just follow along with the instructions.

http://www.paperplane.org/patterns.html
A website from the Guinness Book of Record time aloft for paper airplanes, Ken Blackburn.

Paper airplane history is sketchy. It is noted that many aerodynamic objects were originally created from paper. For example, kites, hot air balloons and possibly airplanes themselves. If not the actual plane, the study or prototype surely used paper in some version of its creation.

http://www.myweb3000.com/freeplane.html
Innovative paper planes to print out from your computer and then cut and fold.

http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/Plane%20Downloads.html
Fifteen templates to download and printout, the sites says you will be flying like a pro in minutes!

http://www.amazingpaperairplanes.com/
Paper airplanes that look like the real thing. This site also includes information about the real airplanes.

http://users.bigpond.net.au/mechtoys/paper.html
A few patterns for planes, helicopters and water bombs.

http://www.mcshane.org/planes/
Mcshane's planes, a simple site but very clean and well-diagramed directions.

How many different paper planes can you fold? Can you create your own design? Consider hosting a paper airplane flight competition with your friends. The actual making of and flight could be used for experimentation as well as an educational lesson. You can document, measure and track all sorts of data related to paper airplane flight. This is a great way to make learning fun and engaging.

http://bestpaperairplanes.com/
Ten original paper airplane models that are easy to build and fun to fly.

http://homepage.mac.com/keithgreenstein/Flapper/PhotoAlbum41.html
The flapper, named so since it flaps it's wings as it flies.

http://www.southflorida.com/events/sfl-edge-n-paperplanes,0,2199675.flash
Design your own plane; well it's surface decorations. Choose from a variety of options and then print out the plane and it's folding directions. - very clever!

http://www.zurqui.co.cr/crinfocus/paper/deco/plane.html
Free designer sheets to print out that add color and design to your airplane. Nothing boring here!

Additional information:
http://www.geocities.com/netitall/PAAEnter/PAAMain/paamain.html
This site contains the Guinness Book of Records information for rules for the worlds top paper aircraft holders as well as some amazing facts.