What is the Paper Pigeon?
The paper pigeon is a folded bird able to fly.
It is also called flier or swallow, paper airplanes
It is well known in Germany, maybe all over the world.
Folding the Paper Pigeon
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1
... ... |
Take a sheet of paper of the size A4 (8 1/2" x 11"). The paper must
not be too thin. Paper used for ink jet printers will do.
Divide the sheet into a square A and two strips B and C.
Part A will become the body, B the tail, C is waste. |
2
... ...
|
Fold part B in the middle and make a point at one end. This will be
the tail. |
3
... ... |
Fold and unfold the square A at both diagonals.
Lay the triangles at the top and at the bottom on each other and push
the two triangles on the left and on the right in the middle inside, so
that the two arrows touch. |
4
|
The result is well known as the 'flier triangle'. |
5
|
Fold upward on the red line on the right and on the left. |
6
|
It must look like this. |
In the following three pictures I describe how to fold the right side.
The left side is the same.
7
... ...
|
Do not unfold what was made in fig. 6.
Fold on the red line and unfold. |
8
... ...
|
Fold on the red line and unfold. |
9
|
The next step is a bit awkward.
Form a point with your thumb and index finger by folding on the red
line. The red line must become a valley. |
10
|
Transfer the foldings 7, 8, and 9 to the left side, if not done before.
Fold both points upward.
Fold the left side on top of the right side to form figure 11.
|
11
|
It must look like this. Unfold again. |
12
|
Put in the tail from below into the pigeon, which is nearly finished.
Fold the upper part backwards on the blue line.
|
13
The pigeon is finished. Now you see the front side on the right and
the reverse side on the left.
The pigeon flies best, if you throw it vertically in the open air. The
wings must form an angle of about 120 degrees.
Have fun.
Another Version of this
pigeon top
You can also make a similar pigeon, if you add part B to part A and
only cut part C for the tail. Then the area becomes bigger. Therefore
you must fold the wings so that the wings lie horizontally while flying.
It will fly better, if you fold a small vertical edge.
Pigeons with M sized wings fly well, too. - There is much room for trying.
Paper Pigeons on the
Internet top
English:
Alex Schultz
Alex's Paper Airplanes
German:
Papierflieger.net
Das beste
Papierflugzeug der Welt
Gerhard Rath
Papierflieger
- aerodynamische Aspekte
Werner Gruber
Physik
der Papierflieger (Allgemein, Historie, Physik des Fliegens, Über
Papierflieger, Modelle)
References top
(1) Therese Mielhaht: Origami Spaß mit Papierfalten, Köln
1990
(2) Jerry Mander, George Dipple, Howard Gossage: Papierflieger - Modelle
zum Selberfalten, dtv 10050, München 1982
In this book you find the most successful fliers of the 1st
international paper flier competition of the magazine 'Scientific
American' in winter 1966/67.
Gail from Oregon Coast, thank you for supporting me in making
this website.
Feedback: Email address on my main page
This
page is also available in German.
URL of
my Homepage:
http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/
©
2001 Jürgen Köller
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