How to Make the Mosquito Paper Airplane

A fast, long range, and simple airplane--the Mosquito is a small airplane with a big wing. It is also equipped with wingtip mounted skids.

I designed the Mosquito to maintain commonality with the Hornet and Wasp, and to make use of the advantages of both in one airframe.


TAA USAF Designation: D144-1

Required:
1 Piece of 8 by 10.5 inch graph paper (4 boxes per inch)
Tape
Pencil
Stapler
Ruler
Scissors

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 two marks along the fold, and a third 5 boxes above the middle line. Then make a right triangle that is 10 by 5 boxes as shown. 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.

Take your wing and cut it out along the marked lines. Then, unfold the halves of the wing.

Put your wing down so that the centers of the spars rest over roughly the 4.5 box marks, both front and back. Apply tape to the spars, with the overhang latching the bottom of the wing. Once taped, cut off any overhanging excess.

Staple your Mosquito over the counterweight fold three times. Then fold the tips up 1 box length in from the wingtips as shown. This will complete the aircraft's winglets, and the aircraft itself. 

Flying the Mosquito is quite easy because of its heavy nose. Point it where you want it to go and watch it flie gracefully their at a swift pace. If you have stability issues add dihedral deflection to the wings and/or the horizontal stabilizers. Enjoy!