Some paper planes are really just folded darts: fast, loud and on the floor within two seconds. This one is a different animal. It is long, narrow and quiet, the sort of glider that leaves your hand slowly and keeps going while everyone waits for it to fall. Best of all it comes from a plain sheet of A4 or letter paper, so there is no hunting for a special square.

The whole thing is built around one center crease. Fold it first, then keep bringing edges back to it, and the sharp nose appears on its own. When you get to the wings, take an extra moment to match the left one to the right one, because that symmetry is the difference between a plane that glides across the room and one that spirals into a chair. Fold a couple at once and have a distance contest.

STEP 1. Take a sheet of A4 (or letter) size paper, fold it in half lengthways to make a crease, then unfold it.

STEP 2. Fold the top corners in so that they meet the center line.

STEP 3. Fold the top slanted edges in to the center line once more.

STEP 4. Fold the top point down.

STEP 5. Fold the whole model in half, away from you.

STEP 6. Fold one side down at an angle to form a wing.

STEP 7. Make the other wing in exactly the same way.

STEP 8. The glider is complete! Launch it into the sky!