Fantastic Flying Fun

Playing with paper glider airplanes is a fabulous activity, especially when you get to craft them first and then let them fly, fly away! We’ve created two special designs your kids will love – a fiery dragon and a fantastic flamingo. Also follow our tips on how to make them fly the best.

Dragon and Flamingo Airplane Gliders

Will they choose a dragon or flamingo, or maybe both?

You Will Need:

• A printer
• Scissors and a craft knife (get parents involved with cutting to keep little fingers safe!)
• Paper
• Fluted card (1mm thick postal boxes work best)
• Glue, poster putty or several paper clips

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Step 1:

Print and cut out both of the body pieces and one tail and wing piece. It is optional if you want to also cut out the underside of the wings and tail.

Step 2:

Glue one side of the body down to the card and cut it out using either scissors or a craft knife, then glue the other body piece to the reverse side. Glue the wing and tail pieces to the card and cut those out, gluing on the underside pieces to the reverse if you choose to. Tip: Use a craft knife to cut out the slots.

Step 3:

Slide the tail onto the end slot, and the wings into the middle slot. If your card is a little too thick to fit into the slot, you can squash the fluted card to make it a bit thinner and it should fit in a lot easier. Add the paper fire in the dragon’s mouth by sliding it into the small slit on its mouth.

Step 4:

For the glider to fly properly it will need some weight on the nose end. Add a small ball of poster putty or a paper clip to the flamingo’s beak or on the dragon’s nose.

Step 5:

Test flight! To judge if you have enough weight on the glider, throw it forwards and if it drops to the ground, tail first, then simply add more putty or an extra paper clip to the nose end until your glider flies more smoothly.

Make Them Fly Fabulously

Here are 3 important ways to help to make your airplane glider fly the farthest.

1. Hold and throw it using your most dominant hand.
2. Get into position - throw the airplane as if you were throwing a baseball, taking a slight forward step as you throw it.
3. Release it into the air at the proper point of your throw – which is the maximum part of the arc and not when your arm starts arcing downwards.

These planes also make a great party activity. The dragon is perfect for a knight or princess party, and the pink flamingo is excellent for a tropical theme. We’ve got a sensational choice of knight, princess and flamingo themed party supplies.

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