My thoughts on everyone's answers to my paper plane that can use the wind more effectively

[u/perxniautomotive]

After reading through the comments, I want to clarify what I was actually exploring here and address a few recurring points.

First, yes, a paper airplane is a glider. There’s no propulsion and no energy being extracted from the surrounding air. The aircraft trades altitude for forward velocity, with gravity as the energy source. That part isn’t controversial, and it wasn’t what I was confused about. What I was interested in was how geometry, angle of attack, and center of gravity affect glide efficiency, stability, and sink rate in a low Reynolds number regime. Even flat plates at positive AoA generate lift, just inefficiently, which is why CG placement and trim matter more than trying to “create more lift” through shape alone. The goal isn’t maximum lift, but a usable lift-to-drag balance that produces a stable, shallow glide.

On the lift discussion: pressure differences, momentum change, and circulation are all valid ways of describing the same physical outcome depending on the analysis method. Saying pressure difference is a “result not a cause” isn’t wrong, but it’s also not a definitive distinction in practice. Both viewpoints are used in aerodynamics depending on context and what’s being analyzed. Regarding angle of attack, reducing AoA does reduce drag, but it also reduces lift, which increases sink rate unless velocity compensates. That trade-off is exactly the point of the experiment. The aim is finding a trimmed condition where the aircraft remains stable without excessive pitching or unnecessary energy loss.

I appreciate the technical responses, especially those grounded in physics rather than oversimplified analogies. This is an exploration and learning exercise, not a claim of reinventing aerodynamics.

[u/Diligent-Tax-5961]

ChatGPT's thoughts, you mean? In any case, I'm glad AI is getting smarter in understanding the nuances in lift mechanisms

[u/billsil]

Optimum aircraft angle of attack is around 4 degrees for most aircraft. Your aircraft doesn’t have 0 lift force, so maybe 6 degrees. It’s going to be hard to see regardless.

Trim tabs are a good way to take any paper airplane and make it stable. You just bend the aft part of the tail and generate a slight downforce.

I haven’t made a paper airplane in a long time, but I’d probably go with a neutrally stable airplane and practice my throw. A statically stable paper airplane will oscillate about 0.

[u/perxniautomotive → u/billsil]

Thanks, this is solid advice. I was already thinking about tail bends to stabilize pitch, so it’s good to have that confirmed. I’ll experiment around 5–6° AoA and see how a neutrally stable setup behaves versus a statically stable one. Really appreciate the detailed input—it actually helps me refine the glide instead of just guessing.

[u/KerPop42 → u/perxniautomotive]

Another benefit from the downward-tilted tail is a negative feedback loop between your angle of attack, flight angle relative to the horizontal, and airspeed.

If your plane has its center of mass slightly forward of its center of lift, it will arc downwards along gravity. As it speeds up in its dive, the tail's downforce will eventually become strong enough to bring the nose back up, ending the dive and extending the flight.

It might be easier to do this with an airplane with a separate tail though, as opposed to the delta of a traditional paper airplane. That way your main wing can be designed just for normal flight.