The Science of Flight: Which Paper Airplane Design Achieves the Greatest Distance?

Overview

This project examines how paper airplane performance is influenced by key aerodynamic principles, including Bernoulli’s Principle, the Coandă Effect, lift, thrust, gravity, drag, and Reynolds number. My research focused on how pressure differences create lift, how airflow attaches to curved surfaces, and how thrust must overcome drag for stable flight. I also studied Reynolds numbers to understand how airflow behaves around paper airplanes and why they operate in different flow environments than full‑scale aircraft. I also connected these ideas to the evolution of bird wings. This research helped me predict how design choices affect performance. To test these ideas, I constructed ten different paper airplane designs, each folded as precisely and consistently. All testing took place on November 22, 2025, in an underground garage to minimize wind and environmental interference. Every airplane was flown five times under identical conditions to gather reliable data. For each trial, I measured flight distance and airtime, then calculated speed using distance divided by time multiplied by .6818. I analyzed the data and used averages to reduce the impact of reaction‑time limitations. The results showed that designs with larger lift‑producing surfaces and lower drag tended to fly farther and maintain more stable speeds. The purpose of this project was not only to understand the science behind flight, but also to explore a universal childhood dream: creating the “perfect” paper airplane. By combining aerodynamic research with hands-on testing, this project reveals complex scientific principles and reflects how deeply I wanted to dive further into aerodynamics.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Physics & Astronomy (Junior Division) · Entry J-17-11

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