How to Make the Hornet Paper Airplane

Completely new for a plane of its size, the Hornet uses a delta wing to buzz around its pilot's airspace. And unlike most of its contemporary straight-wing counterparts, the Hornet is a fast stunt-capable micro plane. This plane is also arguably one of the smallest on Instructables with a wingspan of just 6 centimeters!

The Hornet's design carries over most features of the Pioneer paper airplane. Although the delta wing was initially resistant to application on such a small airframe, the addition of an upright tail fin cured the stability issues the butterfly tailed prototypes encountered. The fuselage retains most of what the Pioneer was equipped with, although the spars are smaller.




TAA USAF Designation: D135-1

Required:
1 Piece of 8 by 10.5 inch graph paper
Tape
Scissors
Pencil
Ruler

First, begin by folding your your graph paper in half (excluding three boxes on the perforated side). Once the paper has been folded appropriately, make two marks--17 full boxes apart. Use a ruler to make a straight line with the length of 17 boxes directly up 1 row of boxes from the two marks you just made. Then make the elevators, rudder, struts and counterweight as shown. Follow the photograph markings. Out of a piece of graph paper that has a lined center crease, make a diagonal mark that stretches 5 by 5 boxes. Once all is marked out, cut out the fuselage and wings.

Solid lines indicate places to cut. Dotted lines indicate fold lines.


Note: 1 box = 0.25 inches

Begin making your rudder by separating it from the elevators. Then cut one of the two layers of paper where the rudder should be off (I usually cut off the left myself). After you've cut these 6 boxes (3 by 2) off, you may discard them.

After having cut out all of the fuselage. Begin folding it along the dotted lines. After you've folded all the lines correctly, it should appear as it does in the third picture.

Now tape your fuselage together at the front, back and across the spars.

Cut your wing out by cutting along that diagonal line you made earlier. Then open. You may throw the one side's scraps away after the cut. Once the wing is unfolded, make a mark down the center crease.

Put your wing down so that the centers of the spars rest over roughly the 2.5 box mark. Then apply tape the spars with the overhang latching the bottom of the wing. Once taped, cut off any overhanging excess.

Although it is a new aircraft with a new type of wing, the Hornet is a relatively easy flier. For anyone with experience flying the Scout (https://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-The-Scout-Paper-Airplane/) or Pioneer, there is little need to be shy with this new bird. For total beginners, it may be best to make several, and fly them one at a time until attrition strikes. In any case, I hope everyone likes this and has some good flights. Enjoy!