You need one uncut sheet of printer paper, short edge at the top. No scissors, tape or clips. Measurements are rounded to the nearest ⅛ inch, as in the app.
moves fold line where it lands Diagrams are drawn on Letter and zoom in after the fold in half; the bar in each corner is 1 inch. Tap a diagram to watch the fold.
Fold it step by step
- 01
Crease down the middle
Fold the sheet in half the long way, press hard, and open it again.
Every fold on the Needle lines up with this crease, so make it sharp.
- 02
Fold the top corners in
Bring the top-right corner down so the top edge lies along the center crease.
Same start as the Dart.
- 03
And the left corner
Same on the left side.
The edges meet on the crease without overlapping.
- 04
Edges to the middle
Fold the slanted right edge in to the center crease.
The point gets sharper.
- 05
Left edge too
Fold the slanted left edge in to the center.
Keep the tip crisp.
- 06
One more time
Fold the right edge in to the center again. It is thick now, so press firmly.
This extra fold is what makes it a Needle.
- 07
And the left, again
Fold the left edge in to the center to match.
Run a fingernail along both folds.
- 08
Fold it in half
Fold it in half along the center crease with the flaps inside.
Squeeze it flat from nose to tail.
- 09
Mark the nose tuck
Crease across the nose 1⅛ in (2.8 cm) back from its point. Open that crease again.Crease across the nose 2.7 cm (1⅛ in) back from its point. Open that crease again.
Fold the two sides together, press, then unfold. This is only a guide.
- 10
Tuck the nose inside
Ease the two sides apart. Push the point between them along your crease, then close the body.
The point hides inside. One side turns up and the other turns down.
- 11
Fold down the first wing
Fold the top layer down on a slant: ¼ in (0.5 cm) from the center fold at the nose, ⅜ in (1.0 cm) from it at the tail.Fold the top layer down on a slant: 0.5 cm (¼ in) from the center fold at the nose, 1.0 cm (⅜ in) from it at the tail.
Keep the body strip thin so most of the paper goes into the wings.
- 12
Turn it over
Flip the plane over.
Nose stays pointing away from you.
- 13
Fold down the second wing
Fold this wing down on the same slant as the first one.
Hold them together to check.
- 14
Open the wings
Keep the center body pinched closed. Open both wings, then lift their tips into a shallow Y.
Check the shape
If the pocket bulges on one side, reopen only the tuck and align the returned point. Extra squeezing can hide the mismatch without fixing it.
Before you open the wings, hold the plane closed against a window: both wing outlines should cover each other. Fix an unequal wing crease before reaching for trim.
First flights
Launch: Pinch behind the nose pocket. Throw firmly and level.
- Tucked nose. The pocket at the front should stay closed. If it has opened, squeeze it gently back along the marking crease instead of flattening the whole nose.
If it misbehaves
- Dives straight down
- Release level, then bend both back edges up a hair.
- Climbs, then drops
- Flatten those bends a little; throw nearer level.
- Always turns one way
- Compare the wings first. Then bend the edge on the inside of the turn down, or the outside edge up, very slightly.
The app can fly this plane in a simulator. Its distances and paths are simulation output; this page makes no claim about how far a hand-folded Lance will fly.
More tucked noses
An inside reverse fold pushes the point back between the body layers, leaving a closed pocket at the front. The technique is fiddly the first time and very tidy once learned.
Spotted a step that doesn't match your paper? Tell us and we'll check it against the app. How these guides are made.