How to Make a Loop Stunt Paper Airplane
The loop stunt plane is a square-nosed paper airplane with broad wings and strongly bent-up elevators at the back. Thrown hard and steeply upward, the elevators pitch the nose up until it flies over the top in a loop, so it is best for tricks rather than distance. It is an easy fold that takes about four minutes with one sheet of printer paper.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- About 4 min
- Steps
- 8 (7 folds)
- Paper
- A4 or US Letter
- Best for
- Loops and tricks
How to fold the Loop stunt plane
A square-nosed plane with broad wings and strongly bent-up elevators. Throw it hard upward and it loops.
Difficulty: Easy · Best for: Loops & tricks · 8 steps
Printable fold-line template
Page 1 is the A4 sheet with every fold line printed in place and numbered; page 2 has the steps. Print at 100% (Actual size) on ordinary 80 g/m² (20 lb) copy paper.
Test flight: Loop stunt plane
Toy model — not a predictionA simplified 2D flight model driven by the folded shape: its wing area, weight and balance point. Drag from the hand in the direction of the throw — a longer drag throws harder — or use the sliders.
Drag on the picture or press Throw.
- Weight:
- 5.0 g
- Wing area:
- 200 cm²
- Wingspan:
- 16.8 cm
- Balance point:
- 40 mm behind the nose
- Balance on the wing:
- 26% of average chord
- Steady glide:
- 2.4 m/s, 2.7 : 1
Weight assumes 80 g/m² paper. The model treats the plane as one flat, rigid wing: lift and drag of a thin plate, a centre of pressure that moves back as the nose rises, and bent-up elevators that add a nose-up moment. Real flights also depend on crease quality, wing symmetry, twist and air currents.
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Step-by-step instructions
The same 8 steps as the animation above, written out so you can fold away from the screen. Measurements are for an A4 sheet; switch the tool above to US Letter for Letter-size measurements and template.
Step 1
Lay the sheet portrait, printed side up. Fold it in half lengthwise, crease firmly and unfold again. The centre crease is your guide for every fold that follows.
Step 2
Fold both top corners in to the centre crease.
Step 3
Fold the whole pointed top down along the line where the flaps end, so the top edge is straight.
Step 4
Fold the two new top corners in to the centre crease.
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Step 5
Fold the pointed nose down along the line where the new flaps end, through all layers. The nose is now blunt and heavy.
Step 6
Turn the plane over and fold it in half along the centre crease, so the folded flaps end up on the outside. Turn it so the nose points left.
Step 7
Fold the top wing down along a line parallel to the bottom edge, about 2.1 cm (7/8 in) above it. Turn over and fold the other wing to match.
Step 8
Open the wings level, then bend the back 1.8 cm (3/4 in) of each wing sharply up to make elevators.
How to throw the loop stunt plane
- For a loop, throw hard and fairly steeply upward. The bent-up elevators pitch the nose up until it goes over the top.
- A soft level throw makes it climb, slow down and flutter to the floor instead.
Loops need speed. Throw it hard and fairly steeply upward, around 45 degrees, with a quick flick of the wrist at the end. A soft throw gives the elevators too little airflow to push the nose over, so it just climbs and flutters down. Give it plenty of room, ideally a hall or a garden on a calm day.
Trimming and troubleshooting
Trimming means small bends to the back edges of the wings (the elevators) and the wing angle. Change one thing at a time and test-throw after each change.
- Loops too small or stalls: bend the elevators down a little.
- Will not loop: bend the elevators up more, and throw harder.
- Bend one elevator up and the other down to make it roll.
- It climbs, stalls and falls instead of looping
- Throw harder and steeper. If it still will not go over the top, bend the elevators up a little more.
- It loops once and crashes into the floor
- The loop is too tight. Bend the elevators down slightly so the loop is bigger, and throw from a little higher.
- It rolls sideways during the loop
- Make sure both elevators are bent up by the same amount and both wings are level. Bending one up and one down on purpose makes it roll.
About the loop stunt plane
Most paper airplanes are trimmed to fly level, with only a tiny upward bend at the back of the wings. The stunt plane does the opposite: its elevators are bent sharply up, which pushes the tail down and the nose up whenever the plane is moving fast. Thrown hard enough, that nose-up push keeps going until the plane flies right over the top.
The folded-back, blunt nose adds weight at the front, which balances the strong elevators and keeps the loop smooth instead of a sudden flip. The broad wings give it enough lift to finish the loop and recover into a short glide.
Once you have loops working, experiment: bend one elevator up and the other down to make it roll, or try less bend for gentle swoops. Use the flight preview above to see how the elevator angle changes the path, then try the same change on your real plane.
Loop Stunt Plane paper airplane: questions
How do you make a paper airplane do a loop?+
Bend the back edges of both wings sharply up to make elevators, then throw the plane hard and steeply upward. The elevators pitch the nose up until it goes over the top.
Why won't my stunt plane loop?+
It is either not fast enough or the elevators are too flat. Throw harder at a steeper angle, and bend the elevators up a little more.
How do I make a paper airplane do a barrel roll?+
Bend one elevator up and the other one down. The difference makes the plane roll toward the side of the raised elevator.
Can the loop stunt plane fly straight?+
Yes. Flatten the elevators until only a small upward bend is left and throw it gently and level; it then flies as a slow glider.
Fold another paper airplane
Easy Kids Plane
Only four folds and broad wings, so it forgives crooked folds and gentle throws. A good first plane for young children.
Classic Glider
A blunt, folded-back nose and wide wings. It flies slowly and floats a long way from a gentle throw.
Hammer Glider
Short and wide, with a thick folded band across the nose like a hammer head. Slow, stable glides and upturned tips.