Glider Construction Instructions

Background music (optional):

Animation of a flying glider

Material overview: Styrene sheet, pens, scissors

Material and Tools:

  • Styrene or Depron sheet: 2mm thick, approx. DIN A4 (hardware store)
  • Paper clips
  • Permanent marker, ruler, scissors, craft knife
Parts drawn on the sheet
  • Draw the fuselage, wing, and tail unit on the styrene with a permanent marker!
Cut out parts
  • Cut out the fuselage, wing, and tail unit!
Markings on the fuselage
  • Mark the insertion slots for the wing and tail unit on the fuselage!
Craft knife cutting slots
  • Cut out the markings with a craft knife.
  • Caution: Risk of injury! Be careful when handling the knife!
Assembled glider
  • Assemble the fuselage, wing, and tail unit!
Paper clip as weight on the nose
  • Attach paper clips to the front of the fuselage.
  • Ready for the first test flight!

Tips and Tricks:

  • Have patience with the first flight attempts! Influence the flight by the number of paper clips.
  • The slots must be cut out carefully.
  • There should be an angle of about 2° to 3° between the wing and the horizontal stabilizer.
  • The center of gravity should be approximately in the middle under the wing.
  • The glider flies more stably with a slight V-shape of the wings.
  • Tobias Arnoldt has a site for Paper Airplanes.