Paper Airplane Flight Lab
Design your paper airplane and launch it to see how far it flies. Change wing shape, nose weight, launch angle, and force to discover which variables matter most. Record your results and write up your findings using the scientific method.
Guided Experiment: Wing Shape Investigation
Which wing shape do you predict will make your paper airplane fly the farthest? Why do you think that shape will work best?
Write your hypothesis in the Lab Report panel, then click Next.
Flight Scene
Adjust the design settings and click Launch Airplane to see your plane fly.
Controls
Wing Shape
Flight Results
Current Design
Predicted Distance
0.83 m
Data Table
(0 rows)| # | Trial | Wing Shape | Nose Weight(g) | Angle(°) | Force(N) | Distance(m) |
|---|
Reference Guide
Four Forces of Flight
Every flying object experiences four forces at once.
- Lift pushes the airplane up. Wing shape affects how much lift is created.
- Weight pulls the airplane down due to gravity. Nose weight shifts the center of gravity.
- Thrust is the forward force from your throw. This is the launch force in this lab.
- Drag is air resistance that slows the airplane. Streamlined shapes (dart) have less drag.
A good paper airplane design balances all four forces to maximize distance.
How Wing Shape Affects Drag
Wing shape controls how much air resistance (drag) the airplane faces.
- Dart. Very narrow and pointed. Least drag, but also least lift. Best at high speed.
- Delta. Swept-back wings. Low drag and moderate lift. Good all-around flyer.
- Classic. Standard folds. Moderate drag and lift. Reliable in most conditions.
- Wide Glider. Large wings. Most lift but also most drag. Flies slowly over longer distances.
Projectile Motion Basics
When you launch an airplane at an angle, it follows a curved path called a parabola.
- A launch angle of about 30-45 degrees gives the best horizontal range.
- Too flat (low angle) and the plane hits the ground quickly.
- Too steep (high angle) and most of the force goes up instead of forward.
- Gravity pulls the airplane down the whole time it is in the air.
This is the same physics that governs throwing a ball or shooting a basketball.
Engineering Design Process
Engineers follow a systematic process to improve their designs.
- Define the problem. What does a good paper airplane need to do?
- Research. Learn how wing shape, weight, and angle affect flight.
- Design. Choose your wing shape and settings.
- Test. Launch the plane and record results.
- Improve. Change one variable at a time to find the best design.
Changing one variable at a time (called a controlled experiment) lets you know exactly which change made the difference.