About the Harrier
The triangle folded up under its nose locks its folds and gives it great stability, says the Art of Manliness, along with its pointed wings.
Paper Plane Academy › Steady
How to fold the Harrier
A locked nose, pointed wings: steady and quick. 11 folds from a plain sheet, a little fiddly. Drag the red corner along its arrow, or press Fold.
- Steady flights
- All-round
Fold it alongStep by stepFly it wellPrint it
There it goes: the harrier you folded is flying on this page. Catch it, and throw it again.
Folding a real one? Print its template: every crease, numbered.
How it flies: steady
Blunt nose, rarely stalls. A locked nose and pointed wings: steady and quick.
Where it comes from
Taught by The Art of Manliness (Jeremy Anderberg, 2022) as one of three “tried and true” designs; it doesn’t name a designer.
Sources: The Art of ManlinessStep by step
moves fold here where it ends up
Fold the top left corner to the middle.
And the other one.
Fold the top down like an envelope, leaving a little at the bottom.
The new corners to the middle; the point peeks out below.
And the other one.
Fold the little triangle up over them: that’s the lock.
Turn it over.
Fold it in half along the middle.
Fold the wing down, along the keel.
Turn it over.
And fold the other wing to match.
Open the wings out, level with the keel. Hold it under its middle and throw it gently, straight ahead.
Fly it well
How to throw it
A firm, level throw. Its weighty nose keeps it on line; thrown too hard, the nose flies it into the floor, so ease off if it dives.
If it misbehaves
- Dives? Throw softer first, then bend the back edges up a little.
- Wobbles? Sharpen the creases and pinch the body shut.
- Turns? Match the wings, then trim the opposite back edge up.
More help
Fix your paper plane: nose-dives, stalls, turns and wobbles, and the bends that trim them out. Or see which plane is best for what you want.
More planes to fold
Gliderfloaty, wide loopsSuzannethe distance record: glides on and onDartquick and trueArrowslim, fast, dead straightHeavy dartgoes far, sinks fastLoopertight loops, rolls easilyNakamura locksteady, rarely stallsBulldog darta blunt nose: steady and toughHammera snub nose, long slim wings: flies far and true