Excellent gliders!
Well, thank you. We like our gliders – they’re simple to make and there’s hours of fun. Here are the instruction sheets you can print off and repeat at home:
The way the paper helicopter spins through the air is a real treat but how does it work? The trick behind this is a force called lift. Lift is produced as air flows over the blades of the helicopter in the same way an airplane produces lift however the crucial difference is the flow of air is produced by the blades rotating rather than the whole aircraft moving through air. So if you release your Paper Helicopter with some rotation it should produce lift quicker than if you just drop it. Give it a try and see if it stays in the air longer!
Did you know?
The world’s first practical helicopter, the VS-300, took flight at Stratford, Connecticut on September 14, 1939. Designed by Igor Sikorsky and built by the Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division of the United Aircraft Corporation, it was the helicopter was this first to incorporate a single main rotor and tail rotor design.
Find out more about the first helicopter here.
Further activity
If you like the two gliders we’ve made already then you’ll love this activity. Behold the Big Mouth Tumblewing.
Just as simple to make as the previous gliders the Tumblewing will entertain and challenge you for much, much longer than it takes to construct. Especially once you master drafting!
Here’s our Tumblewing template and instructions. And be sure to have a look at our activity page dedicated to the Big Mouth Tumblewing!
