Takuo Toda set a new récord for longest paper airplane flight at a competition in Hiroshima Prefecture in April of 2009. His record flight topped Blackburn’s by 0.3 seconds, now the world récord is 27.9 seconds. He folded his plane, measuring approximately 10cm in length, from a single sheet of paper. The previous record of 27.6 seconds was achieved by Ken Blackburn in the USA. Ken is one of the superstars of the paper aircraft world today and keeps all of us, all over the World, working hard to match his skills. He is also very much a gentleman and has been surpassed once by Chris Edge and Andy Currey from England, only to smash the 20.9 seconds set by Chris and Andy with a world topping 27.6 seconds. This time is going to take some beating. The very best of luck to all who try.
Mr.Toda has also announced plans to launch 100 paper planes from the orbiting International Space Station. The planes would be made with heat-resistant paper capable of withstanding temperatures of 250C and wind speeds of mach 7; he has not solve the problem of how to track the planes during their descent to earth.
World Record, Old UK Time Aloft
The longest UK (ex-World Record) duration of a flight by a paper aircraft, indoors, is 20.9 seconds. This was achieved by Chris Edge of British Aerospace Defense LTD, and Andy Currey from the Defense Evaluation Research Agency. By an amazing coincidence they both recorded exactly the same time and on consecutive throws. “The Guinness Book of Records” allowed two World Record holders, because this record is about the times set at the same event, so it’s similar to setting identical pole position times in formula one. This record was established on July 28, 1996 at Cardington Airship Hangars in Bedfordshire, England.
Here are the rules for setting a Guinness world record for paper airplane time aloft:
1. The flight must take place indoors.
2. The plane must be made from a single sheet of paper that is no larger than 9.84 by 13.90 inches (250 x 353 mm) and weighs no more than 5 ounces (150 grams). Typing or copier paper works great.
3. It is OK to use some tape or glue.
4. The plane must be thrown from level ground. The stopwatch must start when you release the plane, and end when the plane touches anything (the floor, a wall, a chair…).
5. You are allowed six attempts.
6. You must submit the following to file a record claim: • Signed statements from two witnesses saying that they saw you set the record. • A newspaper clipping about the event. • Color photographs and a continuous video tape of the flight (you must have both). NOTE: it is not required that a Guinness representative be present.