Ask an Explainer

Like all things that fly, there are 4 forces of flight that act on a paper airplane, thrust, weight , lift and drag. The larger the paper airplane the more it will weigh, the more it weighs the more lift will be needed to keep it flying. Eventually weight will become greater than lift and the paper airplane will descend to the ground. In addition the larger the paper airplane the larger its wings can be. The larger the wings the greater the ability to generate lift. The longer lift is generated the further the paper airplane will glide.