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 corners in
Bring the top-right corner down so the top edge lies on the center crease.
Edges meet exactly on the crease.
- 03
And the left corner
Same thing on the left.
Now it looks like a house.
- 04
Fold the edges in again
Fold the right slanted edge in to the center crease.
Keep the point sharp.
- 05
And the left edge
Same on the left.
The edges meet on the crease.
- 06
Fold it in half
Fold in half along the crease with the flaps inside.
Press from nose to tail.
- 07
Mark the nose tuck
Crease across the nose ½ in (1.4 cm) back from its point. Open that crease again.Crease across the nose 1.4 cm (½ in) back from its point. Open that crease again.
Fold the two sides together, press, then unfold. This is only a guide.
- 08
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.
- 09
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.
- 10
Turn it over
Flip the plane over.
Nose pointing away.
- 11
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.
- 12
Open the wings
Keep the center body pinched closed. Open both wings, then lift their tips into a shallow Y.
Check the shape
Look for an equal tuck on both sides of the center fold. Do not tear the point off if the pocket is reluctant to close.
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 the body behind the tucked nose and give it a gentle, level push.
- 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 Pebble 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.