There was a time when every schoolboy knew how to fold a paper airplane. Well, these boys grow up but never leave their childhood hobby.
In 2009, Takuo Toda, (engineer and chairman of Japan Origami Airplane Association) set a new Guinness World Record by having his paper airplane stay afloat for 27.9 seconds. The airplane was made from one sheet of paper with no cuts. See video here.
Previous world record for longest flight was held by Ken Blackburn in 1998: his paper airplane was afloat for 27.6 seconds. Only 0.3 seconds difference - that's close, very close.
It's not just fun and games. Japanese scientist hope to launch paper airplanes from the International Space Station. The chemically treated paper airplanes have been tested in a hypersonic wind tunnel and they have survived Mach 7 speeds and over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Approximately 30 airplanes, each less than 3 inches long, will travel through space and enter into the Earth's atmosphere and probably land in the oceans. There is no tracking, guidance, or retrieval system. If the paper airplanes survive reentry, it is up to everyday people, like you, to retrieve & return the airplanes to the scientists. Instructions are printed on the airplanes in 10 different languages. See more photos of the airplanes here.
If you love paper airplanes then you will enjoy this art installation composed of many paper airplanes shooting out from a single source. In 2009, artist Dawn Ng, created "i fly like paper". See larger photos from her web site.
If you are interested in something a little more interactive, then observe this interactive art installation by Nova Jiang.
Participants fold their own paper airplane, launch it with a motorized launcher, and hope that the plane passes through the snipping scissors and land within the netting. "Hull Loss" and Jiang's other artwork allows the audience to become performers.
Paper airplanes are a classic example of origami in action. They are easy to fold, fun to fly and people can’t resist launching them. Did you know that you can make a different paper airplane everyday? Check out these 2010 Page-a-Day Paper Airplane Calendars.
There are many diagrams for origami airplanes because there are so many ways you can tweak the model to make it look nicer or fly better. Above is a list of diagrams. Below, is a list of web sites which contain even more diagrams! After folding (and launching) a few, why not create your own?
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a Google search:
These paper airplanes are freely available on the internet. If you have a model that you would like to share, or if you see your model here and would like it removed, please Contact Us. Diagrams are intended for personal use. Copyright of the models lie with the origami creators and designers. Please contact the designer and/or creator directly for non-private usage of a model and/or artwork.
It's not just fun and games. Japanese scientist hope to launch paper airplanes from the International Space Station. The chemically treated paper airplanes have been tested in a hypersonic wind tunnel and they have 
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