Origami: The Deltry Paper Airplane

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 353.

Read the origami instructions (1-15) and match them with the diagrams (a-o).

Complete the statement below for you. Then compare your answer with the rest of the class. Which is the most popular way to learn?

LANGUAGE PRACTICE

When I learn to do something practical, I prefer …

a …to see someone demonstrating it.

b …someone to help me do it.

c …to follow a diagram.

d …to try and ask for help if things go wrong.

The Deltry Paper Airplane is easy to fly, and very easy to make. It flies slowly, and very smoothly and gently. And it holds together nicely. It's a good bet to become the standard paper airplane people make, because it's easy and the results are amazingly good. Because this is the simplest paper plane here, and the first; pardon us for explaining how to create it quite slowly and carefully, so that everyone can follow along, in twelve very simple steps. Remember that a simple dashed line is a "valley fold" (the paper goes down where that line is, and up on both sides of that line) and a dashed-and-dotted line is a "mountain fold" (the paper goes up along that line).

1. Take an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper, and crease it along the middle, by folding it in half lengthwise along the dashed "valley fold" line shown and unfold again.

2. After this point, the result of one folding operation will be shown together with the next folding instructions.

3. Now fold down the top corners inward to the center crease along the dashed "valley folds" shown, making two new right-angle triangles visible in illustration 4.

4. Fold the large top triangle (made up of the two small triangles you just created in step 3), over and down.

5. Fold the lower part of the tip of the large triangle up again. But note - not quite all the way up to the top.

6. Leave about 3/8ths of an inch of space from the top. This will help the flaps to lock under tightly and keep the airplane together when it's done.

7. Fold and unfold two top triangles, much as you did in step 3, where the dashed valley folds are shown. Just as in step 3, the inner edges of the new triangles should line up with the center line of the plane you are making. That is to say, don't try to fold right up against the tip you folded up in step 5, since that tip is supposed to be a bit lower.

8. Now bisect the new folds you made, using the previous creases you just made in step 7 as a guide. Fold and then unfold along the two dashed lines, leaving you back where you started, having created two new upper creases.

9. Now you can fold the two large right angle triangles down again, repeating the first part of step 7. For the moment, ignore the two new creases you just created in step 8.

10. Fold along the two dotted-and-dashed "mountain folds", tucking the lower triangles well underneath, snugly locking them in place. (These two triangles of paper go under the tip you folded up in step 5.)

11. The tucking operation shown in progress. Tuck it way under so that everything holds together.

12. Now you have to make a few partial folds and the airplane is complete. Be sure to distinguish the dashed "valley folds" (that create a valley) from the dashed-and-dotted "mountain folds" that create slight hills. Take a peek ahead at illustrations 13 and 14 to see the paper airplane you are trying to create, if you like.

13. The Deltry aircraft in flight - remember that it's a very slow flyer, much slower (and more graceful) than most paper airplanes. Don't throw it, just release it while your hand is moving forward slowly. One good grip is shown below in diagram 15.

14. Front view.

15. This isn't the only way to grip the Deltry paper airplane in order to launch it, but it's the easiest way. Gently now! This plane soars at a leisurely pace, it doesn't speed anywhere. It flies best if you don't throw it, so much as release it as your hand moves forward a little. You may want to point it's nose just a little downwards as you launch it.

a) b) c) d) e) f)   g) h) i) j) k) l) m) n) o)