Gallery: Aim High: 10 of the World's Most Impressive Paper Planes
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Back in elementary school, paper planes were the class clown’s preferred weapon and the bane of teachers everywhere. A few of those fold-and-fly amateurs have taken their school-time shenanigans to the pro level, becoming aeronautical engineers and origami artists who create record-setting gliders. From the biggest to the trickiest to the most intricately designed, here are 10 of the most impressive paper planes on the planet. __Arturo’s Desert Eagle__ It took a team of engineers and a helicopter to launch [Arturo’s Desert Eagle]( http://greatpaperairplane.org/). At 45 feet long and 800 pounds, Arturo’s is the largest paper airplane ever flown, named after 12-year-old Arturo Valdenegro, who won the distance contest at the Pima Air and Space Museum’s Great Paper Airplane Project. Arturo’s namesake reached speeds of 98 miles per hour during its March 21 flight. It descended almost 3,000 feet before [crashing]( http://youtu.be/z6uN3LiJqAo) in a spectacular fashion. *Photo: Pima Air and Space Museum*
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__The White Pelican__ In 1992, high school students collaborated with NASA engineers to create three giant paper airplanes with wingspans of 18 feet, 28 feet, and 30 feet. Their effort was an attempt at setting a new world record for largest paper airplane. The *Guinness Book of World Records* stipulated the plane must fly more than 50 feet, but the largest model (shown here) far exceeded that goal, flying more than 114 feet before landing. *Photo: Nasa*
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__Jack Vegas’ Cylinder__ In 1967, Scientific American sponsored the [International Paper Airplane Competition](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9k-se2W6CU), attracting nearly 12,000 entrants and spawning [The Great International Paper Airplane Book]( http://www.amazon.com/Great-International-Paper-Airplane-Book/dp/0671211293). Performance artist Klara Hobza rebooted the contest 41 years later, publishing her own book, [The New Millennium Paper Airplane Book](http://www.amazon.com/The-Millennium-Paper-Airplane-Book/dp/0960848851). As part of the [new contest](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/nyregion/02paper.html), Jack Vegas submitted this flying cylinder in the children's category, which combines elements of glider-style and dart-style paper airplanes. At the time, he said of his plane, "Sometimes it has amazing gliding skills and I am sure it will win!" Alas, it did not. Bonus points in our book for originality. *Photo: Klara Hobza*
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__Tomasz Chodryra’s Acrobat__ Participants at [Red Bull's Paper Wings World Championship](http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/) aren’t risking life and limb (perhaps a few paper cuts) but it's about as extreme as paper airplane flying gets. The [2012 competition](http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/en/news/red-bull-paper-wings-world-final-highlight-clip), held in Salzburg, Austria, featured 634 qualifiers from 83 countries competing in three events: longest distance, longest airtime, and acrobatics. Poland’s Tomasz Chodryra (shown above) shared first place with the USA’s Ryan Naccarato, with both participants earning a perfect 50 from a panel of five judges. Unlike the others, the acrobatics competition allows scissors and glue. Chodryra’s plane, built with a quadrifurcated tail and pronged wings, flew a circle around the barrier before returning neatly to his hand. *Photo: Andreas Schaad/Red Bull Content Pool*
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__F-14 Jolly Roger__ With an estimated build time of 10 hours, [PaperAircrafts’ version](http://www.paperaircrafts.com/p-F14-JR-v2.htm) of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat will keep you busy. Carlos Cerezo uses CAD to create his [series](http://paperaircrafts.com/index.php) of flyable planes that mimic fighter jets, but the F-14 is his most advanced. It even has folding wings, just like the real thing. Cerezo’s version doesn’t do acrobatics quite like the Tomcat, but it’s still [impressive in the air](http://youtu.be/iJieS7d0aUw). The intricate design is available for $10 as an e-book, with instructions and printable cutouts. Jet fuel not recommended. *Photo: Paper Aircrafts*
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__Suzanne__ On Feb. 26, Joe Ayoob, a former University of California quarterback, threw Suzanne 226 feet 10 inches, setting [a new world record](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/playbook/2012/03/video-brains-brawn-combine-to-set-paper-airplane-record/) for longest paper airplane throw. The brainchild of [John Collins](http://www.thepaperairplaneguy.com/) (and named after his wife), Suzanne beat the former Guinness record by nearly 20 feet. It’s the first record-holder to incorporate a gliding stage, says Collins. The previous planes were darts; they flew up at a 45-degree angle, and came down in a parabola. The way Suzanne flies through the air actually changes depending on her speed. That’s why it climbs, then noses down, then [picks up speed]( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wedcZp07raE) and rises again. With Ayoob, Collins had a ringer in his corner. “It’s a little trickier to use than just brute force,” Collins says. “It takes a good deal of finesse.” The plane, too, must be perfect. Even though it’s just a letter-sized piece of paper, folded eight times with a little bit of cellophane tape, it must be folded perfectly or it will veer off course, losing momentum to drag. *Photo: John Collins*
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__Bell P-39 Airacobra__ Don’t throw this one. The planes on [Fiddler’s Green](http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/) aren’t designed for flight, they’re just really, really pretty. The planes are aimed at model hobbyists, who purchase the plans and print them on cardstock before assembling the parts. Like the [Bell P-39 Airacobra](http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/Aircraft/Bell-P39-Airacobra.html), the 357 other aircraft in the collection are based on real planes, balloons and … well, the [flying saucer](http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/Aircraft/Avro-Avrocar.html) never reached production. But what the Airacobra and the others sacrifice in aerodynamics, they make up for in appearance. The attention to detail is outstanding, right down to the propeller and the canopy. *Photo: Fiddler’s Green*
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__Project Space Plane__ You know what creates buzz? Dropping 100 paper planes back down to Earth from the edge of space. Each plane held a Samsung SD Memory Card with a message between its wings. [Project Space Plane](http://projectspaceplanes.com/) was a stunt in 2011 to prove just how tough the company's SD cards were. In the end, they declared success before all the planes were claimed. Our lasting impression: Cool, some company threw planes down to Earth from space! *Photo: The Viral Factory*
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__World Record Paper Airplane__ It may not look like much, but this square plane, designed by [Ken Blackburn](http://www.paperplane.org/about.html), set the Guinness record for longest time aloft four times over, most recently in 1998. (Find out how to fold it [here](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/geekdad/2012/04/world-record-paper-airplane/)). “I came up with the basic design when I was 12 years old, and from there, I wasn’t trying to set a Guinness record, I was just trying to come up with a better-flying paper airplane,” Blackburn says. He refined the plane over the years, adding ridges along the wings that act like the dimples on a golf ball, keeping the air flowing across the plane. To achieve maximum time aloft, Blackburn launches his plane upward as high as possible — around 60 feet. He could use a lighter gauge paper, so that it would coast longer, but that would sacrifice the strength that allows him to fire it so high in the air. Blackburn’s interest in paper aeronautics led him to study aeronautical engineering, and he eventually became an engineer for the Air Force. He also wrote a book, published in 1994, called [*The World Record Paper Airplane Book*.](http://www.amazon.com/World-Record-Paper-Airplane-Book/dp/1563056313) Blackburn’s most recent 27.6-second flight record was bested in 2009 by a competitor using a similar model. *Photo: Ken Blackburn*
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__Origami Propeller Plane__ OK, fine. It doesn’t fly (unless you’re in [space](http://www.airspacemag.com/video/Light-Flight.html)), but it’s still a plane, and it’s definitely a pretty impressive paper project. [Gilad Aharoni](http://www.giladorigami.com/PG_Airplanes.html) folded this plane based on a design by [Noboru Miyajima](http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~origami/e/). Origami — literally translated as “folding paper” — refers to paper sculptures made only by folding flat sheets of paper. While many paper planes fit that definition (including this one), the ones that use cuts or glue or tape would be considered kirigami, *kiri* meaning “to cut.” *Photo: Gilad Aharoni*
