Plane daft - paper aeroplane competition at University of Birmingham

Mar 21 2009 by Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

paperplane

THE academic halls of the University of Birmingham have become the scene of a heated flying competition.

Students have been battling against one another to create the ultimate aircraft.

But Boeing and Airbus have no need to get too excited – for the flighty designs being devised at the Edgbaston university were in fact paper planes.

The students signed up to the competition being run by the energy drink Red Bull, which claims to ‘give you wings’.

And those whose designs can fly the farthest could win a place in the grand final with 85 competitors from across the world in Salzburg, Austria on May 1 and 2.

The current record for the longest flight stands at a whopping 58.82 metres while the longest air time is an incredible 27.6 seconds.

Around 130 students took part at Birmingham University in the makeshift ‘hangar’ of the Old Gymnasium over three hours. They were then judged on distance, aerobatics and time spent in the air.

The winners will be announced after the final heat on April 9.