“PV Loves Kids: Paper Airplanes”

Nothing is more insightful than watching a parent teach a child a new skill and seeing the excitement on the face of that child when they’ve “got it”. I had the pleasure of observing this with my stepsons one afternoon. They had so much fun learning how to fold paper airplanes from their dad. They launched their creations over the banister and into the dining room for hours. Laughter filled our home and created wonderful memories throughout the years.

Good ol’ paper airplanes are something that you can enjoy no matter your age, gender, race or creed. They can be made from any type of paper, including what you are reading right now. Learning “grandpa’s secret plane design” is always a treat and something that can be passed down from generation to generation.

The joy of making and flying paper airplanes has even inspired a day of recognition in the U.S. Every year on May 26, paper airplane enthusiasts gather to celebrate “Paper Airplane Day”, an unofficial national holiday. They create designs similar to their aircraft counterparts and assign them names like “The Cobra” or “The Paper Rocket”. Many designers enter their aeronautical toys in contests to claim distance and airtime bragging rights.

So where did this tradition begin? Let’s glide our way through the historical pages of Ancient China and Japan where the origin of folding paper planes began. The art of folding paper is called Origami and it actually began in China during the first or second century. Eventually, origami spread to Japan sometime in the early seventh century where it became a valid art form, displaying creativity and skill.

Many speculate that China and Japan folded paper gliders, not actual planes as we know them today. At this point, it is uncertain who actually folded the first glider but we do see the effect that paper airplanes have had on technology throughout the centuries.

It has been documented that aviation pioneers used paper model aircraft to design their aeronautic machines. Leonard Da Vinci (1452-1519) was known to model his version of a plane, parachute and an ornithopter (an aircraft that flies by flapping wings) using parchment paper. Similar experiments to test theory and were used by Sir George Cayley, the pioneer of aeronautical engineering. Cayley made paper gliders as research components when designing the first successful glider to carry a human. Other pioneers who used paper airplanes and gliders include Clement Ader, Charles Langley and Alberto Santos Dumont.

Oliver Wright and Wilbur Wright built countless paper airplane models for their wind tunnel research. These aeronautical tools were key to their studies, allowing them to graduate from larger models, kites and gliders to the powered Flyer. In 1903, the first flight claimed the skies and we know the rest of the story.

This basic research tool has been used throughout the decades and around the world as developments in aviation became more sophisticated. Paper airplanes have contributed to the understanding and development of velocity, lifts, style and fashion.

Paper airplane enthusiasts are nostalgic about the day that they learned how to fold their very first paper airplane and remember its flight with vivid detail. In fact, one grandparent recalls a series of model warplane designs that were distributed by General Mills, Inc. in 1944.

The company was promoting a radio adventure program called “Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy”. The paper planes were offered two-at-a-time in exchange for two Wheaties cereal box tops and five cents. The models included the Curtis P-40 “Flying Tiger” and the British “Spitfire”. Children assembled their models by cutting the designs printed on heavy stock paper. They would glue on the wings and rudder and add a penny for the correct weight distribution.

The passion of flying paper airplanes has been documented by Guinness World Records. For years, they have been recording the longest airtime achievement. In April 2009, Takuo Toda of Japan won the Guinness World Record for the longest flight duration record using a hand-launched paper aircraft. His plane flew for 27.9 seconds in Hiroshima, which continues to be the longest airtime to date.

Who knows maybe you will be the next Guinness World Record holder, so get out your paper and start folding! Go online for paper airplane templates or have fun creating your own design. Allow your creation to take flight while you’re hanging out with loved ones, waiting in line or relaxing on the beach. Everyone can join in on the fun and create wonderful memories. Happy flying!