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, and open it.
This is your guide line.
- 02
Fold the top half down
Fold the top edge all the way down to the bottom edge and press it flat.
Now the sheet is half as tall and twice as thick.
- 03
Fold the top corners in
Fold the top-right corner down so the folded top edge lies along the center crease.
Two layers, so press hard.
- 04
And the left corner
Same on the left side.
A short, wide roof.
- 05
Fold the edges in again
Fold the right slanted edge in to the center crease.
Keep the point sharp.
- 06
And the left edge
Same on the left.
The edges meet on the crease.
- 07
Fold it in half
Fold in half along the crease with the flaps inside.
Press from nose to tail.
- 08
Fold down the first wing
Fold the top layer down on a slant: ⅝ in (1.5 cm) from the center fold at the nose, ½ in (1.3 cm) from it at the tail.Fold the top layer down on a slant: 1.5 cm (⅝ in) from the center fold at the nose, 1.3 cm (½ in) from it at the tail.
The crease slants: farther from the center fold at the nose than at the tail. Measure both ends.
- 09
Turn it over
Flip the plane over.
Nose pointing away.
- 10
Fold down the second wing
Fold this wing down on the same slant as the first one.
Compare the wings: an unequal pair is the usual cause of a turn.
- 11
Open the wings
Open the wings flat with a small upward Y.
Check the shape
The doubled paper makes alignment more important. Compare both corners before pressing an edge fold through all the layers.
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: Hold it under the body and let it go gently, nose just above level.
- Doubled sheet. Everything is folded through two layers, so creases need firm pressure. A layer that springs open changes the outline.
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 Manta will fly.
More half-sheet deltas
The top half of the sheet is folded down first, so everything after works on a doubled, shorter sheet. The outline is a compact delta.
Spotted a step that doesn't match your paper? Tell us and we'll check it against the app. How these guides are made.