Things You'll Need
Instructions
Sketch out on paper with a pencil each part of the airplane: the wing, body, tailpiece and fin. You can draw these freehand or copy pre-made plans. There are many different possible designs for these pieces, and to get ideas, study plans and pictures available online or in books. The body will normally be about the same length as the wing, but narrower. The wing will often be rounded on the front two corners and straight along the back. The tailpiece will be about one-fifth the size of the wing, and the fin can be a small triangular shape. Part of the fun of creating your own model airplane is sizing and shaping the plane according to your own specifications and experimenting to see how your plans work out. Cut out each piece of paper with scissors.
Place the patterns on the balsa wood and sketch around the edges with the pencil. Using a sharp wood knife, cut the pieces out along the edges. Sand the edges gently with the sandpaper to remove any rough spots.
Cut a slot in the middle of the body of the plane for the wing and at the back for the tailpiece. Cut a small slot on top of the back of the plain for the fin. Slide the wing and tailpiece into place and insert the fin in the slot. Put several drops of glue where each piece meets the plane's body, and place on a flat surface. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.