Your plane won’t fly well if the wings are warped or twisted. You can check alignment by holding the model at arm’s length and examining it from the front and back.
Add camber and fix warps by gently twisting the wings and tail with your fingers. Tweak a tiny bit at a time until everything is straight.
Paper is affected by moisture in the air and sunlight, both of which can warp the paper slightly, so you should re-check the planes just before flying them, and again every few flights.
The upturn of the wings is called dihedral. It helps keep the plane level, because lift pulls at right angles to each wing, and when the plane banks, the lift created by the level wing increases, and straightens the whole plane until the lift is equal again. Delta-winged planes like the Kite Glider don’t need dihedral, because the basically triangular wing shape has the same effect, but most of the planes in this kit should have a little.
Test fly the airplane gently at first, onto a carpet or bed or dry lawn. Toss the plane straight forward firmly and watch how it flies. If it stalls (B) or dives (A), adjust it and test fly again, until it glides gently like pattern C.
Fix a dive by bending the rear of the stabilizer up slightly.
Fix a stall by bending the rear of the stabilizer down slightly.
Just right!
If the plane turns left, slightly bend the rear edge of the left wing down, bend the rear edge of the right wing up, and bend the rudder to the right.
Fix a right turn by doing the opposite of 1.
Just right!
HOW TO HOLD THE PLANES
When test-flying, or flying a plane gently toward a curtain indoors or out on a small lawn, it is best to hold it gently where it balances easily between your thumb and index finger. Throw it gently but firmly straight ahead, as if you are throwing a dart.
For a stronger launch, the best way to hold the plane is to grip the nose with your thumb and ring fingers, while resting your index and middle fingers at the back of the wings. This will support the plane and keep it pointing straight ahead while you give it a good push, followed by a smooth follow-through!
Hold the Flitting Bird as shown, and push it gently straight ahead. Too fast and it will pop up and stall, but too slow and it will fall to the floor. Give it a few practice tosses, and you’ll get the hang of it!
The Falling Leaf glider is probably the easiest of all. Hold the sides of the wing as shown, and let it fall. Voilà!