Fold’N Fly gets straight down to business. It’s there for one thing and one thing only – teaching people how to make paper planes, and it does this really well. On the main page, you’re greeted by a list of different designs that you can filter by difficulty, specialism (distance, time in the air, etc.), and whether or not you consider scissors cheating. Follow any one of these links, and you get a series of photographed steps, guiding you through a build, as well as a video of it. That’s it. There’s no cruft, or anything else filling up the site. It’s paper aeroplanes all the way.
Here at HackSpace towers, we’re fond of the acrobatic planes because, well, we like twirling in the sky. The Royal Wing design is our preferred craft for this. The combination of large wing area, and well-balanced weight, make it great for low-speed manoeuvres. However, the implausible shapes of the King Bee or the Gliding Plane make them also top contenders for our affections.
The one thing missing from this page is advice on flying the planes.
Particularly with acrobatic planes, the minutiae of how you launch (and some last-minute folding) can have a huge impact on the end result. Perhaps, though, it would be mundane for a website to guide you all the way. This omission does give us license to experiment freely, and see what we can discover about the science of cellulose aviation (as we term this hobby on our CV).
If you want to start making better paper planes, or if you’re bored at work, this is the site for you. There are plenty of options for both beginners and experts alike.
Fold’n Fly free foldnfly.com
Verdict
Everyone needs to know a few good paper aeroplane designs.
