Tailless

P15 Manta

The M-fuselage doubles as the rear stabiliser — no tail. Hard to tune, rewarding when it works.

Construction template

Print the P15.

No tail means faster flights but less control. Needs reflex — flaps up — to hold the nose stable. Fine-tuning will make or break this one.

One letter-size sheet. The template area is about 5.5″ × 8.5″ — half a sheet. Print with “Shrink to Printable Area”, the usual default.

Before you start

What you'll need

• Basic 8.5in × 11in printer paper. The designs fly great on regular paper, but 32lb/ream stock holds its shape better in flight, giving higher and more exciting flights.
• A pair of scissors sharp and small enough to make precise cuts.
• Clear adhesive tape.
• A paper clip — the planes are designed around #1 size clips, 3.2cm × 0.8cm.
• Optionally a straight edge or ruler, if you don't trust your folds.

Template instructions

How to use it

1. Cut out the rectangular template. Leave the dashed-line cuts for later.
2. The template is about 5.5in × 8.5in — half a sheet of 8.5in × 11in letter paper. It assumes your PDF print setting is “Shrink to Printable Area” (the most likely default), so it may print slightly larger or smaller depending on your settings.
3. Once you're comfortable with the design, you can skip the template and just cut regular printer paper in half.
4. The printed fold lines should be very close to perfect, but if you have to choose, always choose symmetry of the plane over following the printed lines.