Cotton Swab Card Stock Micro Gliders

Here's a delightful little glider that flies pretty well despite its small size. If you're looking to sharpen your fine motor skills, look no further.

Three options for your principal material(s) are listed. I prefer the manila folder. The third option (see picture) allows for some fun color combos, but results in a heavier glider.

-manila file folder

or sheet of card stock (80 lb. / 215 gsm)

or sheet of printer paper and sheet of light card stock (65 lb. / 175 gsm)

-cotton swab

-liquid white glue and glue stick

-ruler

-scissors

Download the PDF. Now you have some options. If you chose to use a manila file folder, you can trim the folder to 8.5" x 11" (or A4) and then print on it. You can do the same if you opted to use medium card stock.

No printer? That's okay. You can transfer the shapes to your material by any of several methods, such as drawing a grid and just carefully copying the shapes.

If your choice was the third on the list, print onto the light paper and use a glue stick to paste that onto the light card stock.

Very carefully cut out the shapes. (If you're skills are advanced enough, try to stay on the inside edges of the lines.)

Trim the cotton swab to 6 centimeters of length.

Use a glue stick to attach the long strip to the top of the main piece.

Use liquid glue to attach the swab to the bottom of the main piece. It terminates at the trailing edge line of the wings.

Pinch along the trailing edges of the outer sections of wings to curl them down very slightly. Approximately the aft 15% (of the wing chord) should be curled. Aside from helping the wings produce lift, the curvature will add some rigidity.

Establish creases on the dotted lines. Raise the elevator a few degrees, then raise the wingtips to about 10 degrees above horizontal.

Place a thin bead of liquid glue at the aft end of the fuselage. Set the vertical fin and hold it for several seconds. Make sure the fin is centered and straight.

The rectangular strip gets wrapped around the swab stick, right at the front of the fuselage. It adds nose weight that is needed for flight, and it kind of looks like an engine cowling. Apply glue to one end and let it bond to the swab for a few minutes. Add a bit more glue and wrap it.

Form the canopy such that the sides are almost vertical. Add two dots of glue where the relief cuts are, and push the front section back so it overlaps the rear section a little. Lastly, glue the canopy to the glider.

Check the glider from all angles for imperfections, such as a warped fin or twisted wing. Correct these as best you can.

Test your glider indoors. To hold it, pinch the cowling between the tip of your index finger and thumb.

Throw the glider straight, level, and with minimal force. It should glide for about 20 feet. If it is consistently pitching up, lower the elevator a shade. If it continues to pitch up even with the elevator in a neutral position, add a tiny amount of nose weight. One way to do that is to add a strip of card stock (see photo).

If the glider tends to turn left or right, try using the rudder to correct that. The curled areas at the trailing edges of the wings can also cause a roll and turn if they don't match (since they are basically ailerons). For this reason, it's important to check the wings frequently and make sure they mirror each other perfectly.

Also, be patient with it. A glider of such diminutive dimensions is affected by everything, from the slightest breeze to a strand of spider's web caught on the tail. At any rate, frustration is just a step to greater skill and success.

Now that you're done, why not make a fancy version? I peeled some reflective paper off a soda box to decorate mine. Cheers.

The best flights, and a few of the worst.