The art of paper flying is not everyone’s piece of cake. No doubt, the experience of assembling and fabricating a paper plane is witnessed by a few but cherished by many. In a similar set of affairs, a trio of aviation enthusiasts has left their mark in the Guinness Book of World Records by making a paper plane that can easily glide over a whopping distance of 77.134 m (252 ft 7 in). The phenomenal happening occurred on April 16th, 2022 at an indoor sports venue in Daegu, South Korea. This team has also broken the previous record of the paper plane made by Joe Ayoob and John M. Collins that flew a distance of 69.14 m (226 ft 10 in).
The meticulous trio consists of three members, with each one having an amazing and unique skill set. Kim Kyu Tae is the person who excels at throwing the plane with the speed of a retro jet through his amazing arm skills. His fellow partners, named Chee Yie Jian and Shin Moo Joon, are considered the leading lights of the team, whose extraordinary capabilities and consistency made this project a huge success. Chee Yie Jian was responsible for designing the plane, from selecting the type of paper to choosing the aerodynamic parameters. However, Shin Moo Joon performed the task of folding the paper through his incredible techniques, which played an important role in attaining a long glide path.
An interesting thing to consider is that Chee Yin Jian has always worked with his team virtually and was not present during this record-breaking ceremony. But the team always made their plans regarding the project in online meetings and completed them smoothly and efficiently. Chee addressed, “The paper airplane community is small yet global, in that everyone knows one another online. I have known Shin for close to a decade now, and we’ve been constantly discussing new ways to fly higher, further, and longer via email and social media.”
The team has worked diligently throughout and made the best choices regarding the resources and the utilization of varied materials for the plane. They opted for CX22 100GSM paper, which was also used by Ayoob and Collins for their project back in 2012. Continuing with the discussion, Chee Yie Jian told the Guinness Records, “Whether it’s staying aloft for as long as possible, or flying the farthest, designs can vary greatly with an infinite combination of paper type, weight, geometry, and balance. Some distance planes are precise, skinny darts, and some are gliders that fly slower but tend to have a mind of their own.”
This was undoubtedly a remarkable attempt for all aviation lovers and has become a source of inspiration to continue making paper planes and showcase their talent worldwide.