- 1). Draw a pattern for your plane's fuselage on paper. Make sure your pattern has a half-inch width and 13.6-inch length. You also need a rounded nose---just like the nose of a real airplane---and a stabilizer on the back end of the fuselage that measures 2 inches wide and 2 inches high. Make the stabilizer curve slightly on the top left side. When finished the stabilizer should look similar to a shark's fin emerging from the tail end of your plane's body.
- 2). Draw the wing pattern for your plane on the paper. Make sure your wings measure 17.3 inches in length and 1.6 inches in width. Some people choose to round the edges of the wings slightly so that each wing tip resembles a shark's fin, but plain rectangle wings also work well.
- 3). Draw your horizontal stabilizer pattern. The horizontal stabilizer should measure twice as long as the vertical stabilizer measures high. So, draw a stabilizer that measures 4 inches in length and 2 inches in width. Like the wings, the horizontal stabilizer should either be a rectangle or have rounds tips. They need to match the style you chose for the wings.
- 4). Cut your pattern pieces out.
- 5). Lay your sheet of 1/4-inch balsa wood on a flat surface. Lay your paper fuselage template piece on top of the wood. Then, hold the paper fuselage piece down firmly and trace around the shape with a pencil. Trace your wing and stabilizer patterns onto the 1/16-inch balsa wood sheet.
- 6). Follow the pencil lines with your hobby knife to cut each piece out of the wood. Then, rub the sand paper along the edges to smooth them.
- 7). Measure 5.1 inches from the nose of your plane and draw a line 1.7-inches long. Make sure you center the line between the top and bottom of the fuselage. Then, use your knife and follow the line to cut a slot that's 1/16-inch wide so the wings slide through it with a snug fit. Slide the wings through the slot, make sure the fuselage sits in the middle of the wings and add a drop of wood glue where the two pieces meet.
- 8). Glue the horizontal stabilizer to the back end of the fuselage so it lines up evenly without an overhang on the end. You need the fuselage running under the middle of the stabilizer. Wait for the glue to dry.
- 9). Put glue on one edge of the vertical stabilizer. Then, glue the stabilizer in the middle of the horizontal stabilizer, so it stands straight up. Wait for the glue to dry.
- 10
Toss the plane into the air for a test flight. If your plane doesn't fly smoothly, slide a paper clip into the tip of the plane to add a little weight. Alternatively, modeling clay also works well to add weight to the end of your plane.
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