How to Make the Hoverfly Paper Airplane

Designed to enable paper helicopter operations in smaller places than the standard sized paper helicopter, the Hoverfly is a small "drone" chopper.

The Hoverfly was designed after I realized very few paper helicopter designs exist. Compared to paper airplanes, unique paper helicopter designs are scarce. The Hoverfly is the first helicopter I have designed, and I intend to design more to follow it.

TAA USAF Designation: HD177-1

Required:
1 Piece of 8 by 10.5 inch graph paper
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Stapler
Tape

Begin making your Hoverfly by marking out a box of 11 by 4 boxes on a single sheet of graph paper. At the top, mark a solid line 4 boxes in length, 2 boxes in from the corners of the box. From this line mark a dotted line that stretches from the sides of the boxes while touching it. 6 boxes down from the upper corners of the box, mark a solid line 1 box in length inwards on each side. Going from each of these lines, make a dotted line that goes downward to the bottom of the box. Then 1 row of boxes above the bottom of the 11 by 4 box, make a horizontal, dotted line.

Your Hoverfly should now look as pictured. Cut the airframe out along the solid outer line.

Solid lines indicate places to cut. Dotted lines indicate fold lines.

Note: 1 box = 0.25 inches

Cut along the solid lines in the middle of the paper. Then cut along the solid line that stretches down from the top of the sheet. Now fold along the dotted lines. Your Hoverfly should now appear as it does in the fourth photograph.

Fold down the left rotor while the 'counterweight' side is facing upwards. Flip the helicopter over and fold down the other rotor. Then flip the airframe back over to the 'counterweight' side. Pull the bottom row of boxes upwards 1 box length above the bottom of the airframe. Then tape these boxes and the rest of the counterweight down as shown. Apply 1 staple along the center line of the fuselage. Your Hoverfly is now complete.

Like other paper helicopters, operating the Hoverfly is fairly easy. From any height, release the Hoverfly and watch as it spins downward to a soft landing on the ground below. Releasing the aircraft is all that is necessary. Air launches are likely possible using suitable aircraft like the Courier Dart, but I have never tried this myself. At this point I am unsure of what additional surfaces can be added to the standard Hoverfly airframe, but I will continue to update this as experimentation continues. For faster rotation of the rotors and faster descent, give the rotors more dihedral as seen fit. Enjoy!