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BE A RECORD BREAKER!

You will soon have a shelf full of high-performance paper airplanes, and you’ll know how to trim and fly them. The next natural step will be to think about going after a record. The two big ones, the records that are most coveted, are the flight duration record and the distance record. But you can’t just wind up, throw your plane, and claim to be best in the world. There are rules about what kind of planes are acceptable, about how and where the flights can be made, and about how the record is measured and judged. These rules are necessary to make it fair for everyone. I’ve summarized them here for you, along with some of the reasons for the rules, but both Guinness and I suggest you look them up and read them carefully before making a formal attempt. Ready, set, go!

Flight Duration Records

Duration flights must be made indoors. This is to prevent a lucky thermal or gust of wind from giving the plane a helping hand.

You will need two independent judges to make sure the rules are enforced and to measure the flight time. You will also need someone to take a video showing the entire flight from launch to landing. Guinness won’t recognize a record without the video.

Takuo Toda winding up to launch a paper airpline for a longest flight duration record attempt. Photo courtesy of Takuo Toda.

Takuo Toda casts a critical eye toward one of his planes as he checks to make sure the wings are in alignment. Photo courtesy of Takuo Toda.

You may make ten attempts, which include fouls but not flights deemed unmeasurable by the judges. This is to prevent siege assaults on the record and reduce stress on the judges.

The plane must be made of one sheet of A4 or letter size paper of less than 100 gsm weight. It may be cut, but the parts removed may not be reattached. You may use up to 25 mm by 30 mm of cellulose tape, cut or whole, to fasten folds, but for no other purpose. This rule prevents gaining an advantage by using specialized materials or designs. Everyone will be flying roughly similar origami airplanes.

The airplane is to be flown by one person, standing still on a level floor with both feet on the ground. The launch point must be level with or lower than the landing point. This rule is intended to equalize flying conditions and neutralize handicaps.

The flight time is measured from the moment the airplane leaves the thrower’s hand until it first touches the floor or any other object. If any object helps the airplane in flight, the judges will call a foul.

The time is measured with digital stopwatches to a hundredth of a second, and the two times averaged and rounded to a tenth of a second. If the judges can’t agree on a time, as when it isn’t clear to both whether the airplane struck an object or not, for example, the flight is considered void.

If any of the ten attempts exceeds the current record, the thrower must send signed statements from the judges, and the video, and color photographs, and as far as possible, newspaper clippings for independent corroboration, to Guinness for authentification.

Chris Edge’s “White Flyer” (front) and Andy Currey’s “Delta Belter” (rear) designs tied to set a record for longest duration flight in 1996. The record fell to Ken Blackburn two years later, and has been held by Takuo Toda since 2009.

Takuo Toda’s unique wind-up allows him to launch his planes to dizzying heights without distorting the wings or creating excess drag. Photos courtesy of Takuo Toda.

Flight Distance Records

The Guinness rules for distance flown records are very similar to those for duration. The flights must be made indoors, and there can only be ten of them. Two independent scrutineers do the judging and measuring. The plane must be constructed from the same type of paper, with cuts and a small amount of tape allowed. But rejoining trimmed off pieces is prohibited.

The biggest difference from the duration rules is the way the plane is launched. It is thrown unaided by one person from behind a 32.8-foot (10-meter) wide line with a mark in the center. The thrower is allowed a 32.8-foot (10-meter) run up, but must not touch or cross the line until after the plane has been launched. No ramps or other aids are allowed, and the launch point may not be higher than the landing point.

The plane may not roll more than 4 times in flight. This is to prevent the use of tightly rolled paper darts that do not actually fly in a sustained and stable way. (Some contests do not require this, but if the record is for a flight, the plane should be able to fly!)

Several examples of John Collins’ “Suzanne” paper airplane, ready to make history for longest distance thrown. Photo courtesy of John Collins.

Former arena football quarterback, Joe Ayoob throwing John Collins’ “Suzanne” into the record books. Photo courtesy of John Collins.

The distance flown is measured in a straight line from the mark in the center of the launch line to the point where it first touches the ground or any other object. If the plane is aided by any object, the flight will either be measured to where the event occurred, or be declared a foul. Only one scrutineer is required to call a foul.

Authentication of the flight is to be made in the same way as for a duration record.

If your plane is record caliber, you will probably need several very long measuring tapes laid end to end. Draw or tape a line on the floor where the present record is, and you’ll know you have a record flight when your plane goes past it.

Wingspan Records

Another interesting Guinness record is that for the paper airplane with the largest wing-span capable of flying more than 50 feet (15.2 meters). It is much more difficult than you think, because your plane needs to be bigger than a Cessna to have a chance.

Like the other records, the flight must be made indoors. There are to be two scrutineers, and ten attempts are allowed.

The plane itself must be made from paper of no more than 150 gsm in weight, which is about twice as thick as copy paper. Glue can be used to join parts and laminate paper for main structural components, but it must not cover the wing itself. No materials other than paper and glue are allowed.

The wingspan is measured before the first flight.

The plane must be flown by one person, who may use a platform up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall. The thrower is allowed a 10 foot (3 meter) run-up to the throw, and must not leave the platform before releasing the plane. The plane must fly completely past a line drawn 50 feet from the edge of the platform. If the plane is aided by any object, the flight will either be measured to where the event occurred, or be declared a foul. Only one scrutineer is required to call a foul.

Authentication of the flight is to be made in the same way as for a duration record.

An example of a very large model airplane. There needs to be a delicate balance between weight and strength at this scale. Photo courtesy of Kakamigahara Aerospace Science Museum.