Paper Plane Postcard
Send a postcard to a friend that they can cut out and glue together to make a great flying paper glider. Or make one yourself!
If you are a fan of the cut-and-glue style of paper airplane, here is a fun little glider made from a small 5x7 postcard. This is an advanced design, but with a little effort, you will be rewarded with a fast airplane that can quickly dart across the room.
Once you have given this small paper plane a try, feel free to print off a copy and mail it to your friend. They will surely enjoy this fun little treat appearing in their mailbox.
Download the Postcard
This downloadable Postcard Paper Plane template conveniently comes with two postcards on one page. Simply print this double sided PDF on some thick cardstock paper and you'll have one for yourself and another to mail to a friend.
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Cut Out the Pieces
The first step is to carefully cut out all the pieces. Our recommendation is to start with a nice pair of scissors and roughly cut out the pieces, leaving some room around each piece so you can come back later and carefully trim it to size.
Once you have done that, come back to each piece and trim along the solid black outline. You can use your scissors, but we recommend using a hobby knife with a new blade. This tool can make more precise cuts.
It's important to take safety precautions when working with sharp knives. Supervise children and keep the cap on the knife when not in use. When cutting, use a cutting mat to protect your table and always be aware of where the knife will go if it slips. The motion of the knife should be away from your hands and body whenever possible. Never use excessive force. Two light cutting passes will produce better results than one heavy cut.
Fold the Tabs
The next step is to fold the tabs outwards along the dashed lines. A thin metal ruler is the perfect tool for this purpose. Place the ruler along the dashed line and then fold towards the ruler.
There should be four pieces with small tabs marked with dashed folding lines. Two will be used to attach the wing and two will be used to attach the tail. Fold these to make a 90° right angle. There are two larger pieces that will be used to make the wing. These have dashed lines going down the middle. Fold these up to make a shallow V-Shape of about 15°. This is called the dihedral angle and it will make the airplane more stable during flight.
Glue It Together
Now it's time to glue the pieces together. We recommend using regular white craft glue that you can find in most convenience stores and hobby shops. You can also use glue stick or any other glue designed for paper. When applying the glue, apply a thin layer over the entire surface. If you put it on too thick, it will ooze out and make a big wet mess. If you apply just a few drops in several spots, the resulting airplane will be weak and flexible. The glue adds some necessary strength and stiffness, so spread it all the way to the edges very thinly. One technique that works well is to place a bead of glue down the middle of the part and then use a scrap piece of paper as a brush/squeegee to spread the glue towards the edges.
The fuselage or body of the airplane will be made from 9 pieces glued together into a thick paper sandwich. The wing will be made from 2 pieces glued together. You can use paper clips, binder clips or clothespins to hold the pieces together while the glue dries. Look at the numbers and instructions printed on each piece and follow along with these steps.
1) Glue parts 2+3 where indicated to part 1
2) Glue parts 4+5 where indicated
3) Glue parts 6+7 where indicated
4) Glue parts 8+9 where indicated
5) Glue wing part 12 to the top of wing part 11, aligning the small black dots.
6) Let the glue dry from the previous steps. Press the body flat with a book so it dries straight.
7) Glue the wing onto the folded out tabs in the middle of the fuselage. The dot faces forwards. You can use binder clips, paper clips or clothespins to hold it on.
8) Glue the tail onto the folded out tabs at the back of the fuselage. The dot faces forwards.
Trimming and Fine Tuning
Once the glue has dried, it's time to do a little fine tuning of your paper airplane. This is a very important step called "trimming", and it's what all good model aircraft designers do before the first flight of any airplane. It will help make sure that you have the best chance of success.
Bend the wings up to make a 15° V-Shaped "dihedral" angle.
Straighten any warps and bends so that it is perfectly symmetrical.
If you don't give your wings a dihedral angle, or if there are any warps, bends or asymmetrical surfaces of your airplane, this will cause it to turn or spiral in an uncontrolled manner. So, now is your chance to make it perfect.
Flight Tips
Gently toss your postcard paper plane straight ahead and observe its flight. What did you see?
- Airplane turned left or right.
- Bend the rudder slightly to control yaw. If the airplane turns left, bend the back edge of the rudder to the right.
- Bend the wings to control roll. If the airplane rolls left, bend the trailing edge of the right wing up slightly.
- Airplane pitched up and stalled.
- Move the center of mass forwards by adding a piece of tape or scrap piece of paper to the front nose of the airplane.
- Add some "down elevator" by bending the back edge of the tail downward very slightly.
- Airplane dived sharply.
- Move the center of backwards by adding a piece of tape or scrap piece of paper to the tail of the airplane.
- Add some "up elevator" by bending the back edge of the tail upward very slightly.
- Airplane rolled and flipped over.
- Check for warps or twists in the wings.
- Increase the upward V-Shaped dihedral angle of the wings.
Be sure to check out our Paper Airplane Problems and Solutions page for additional quick tips for solving the most common issues with paper airplanes and how to fix them.
Conclusion
This mini Whitewings Style paper airplane made from a small 5x7 postcard is a more advanced project, but we hope that you have enjoyed building and flying this fast little aircraft. We designed this airplane to be sent through the mail to a friend or family member, so why not print an extra copy, write a little note on the back and pop it in the mail to someone who you think might enjoy it.
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