The Icarus Project was created by Italian engineering students. They created a huge paper airplane, with a wingspan of 20 meters. Once launched it became the world’s largest paper airplane to take flight.
A small airplane created with a sheet of paper A4 It has a wingspan of between 13 and 14 centimetres. The paper airplane launched on June 25th in Bologna had a wingspan of more than 20 meters, enough to become the largest paper airplane in the world to take flight. He was the one who planned it, raised funds, and built it a group of kids from the University of Pisa. Especially students of engineering. They created the entire project from scratch. They studied the best model, the most suitable materials and balanced everything to make it fly. Why yes: this plane it didn’t have to be just a model. To enter the Guinness Book of Records he must fly for at least 15 meters.
The name of the project is Icarusthe boy of myth who melted his wax wings for flying too close to the Sun. The end is tragic, of course. But at least he flew. The last record recorded for this category dates back to September 2013. It was obtained in Germany from Braunschweig Institute of Technology. The protagonist of the record was a plane with a wingspan of 18.21 meters. It exceeded the minimum distance of just three meters, flying autonomously for 18 meters before crashing to the ground. In Bologna things were done a little bigger.
How the paper plane was designed
Don’t imagine a huge sheet of paper folded several times on itself. The Icarus project plane had two wings designed to guarantee lift, the force that allows the plane to be pushed upwards to counteract gravity. And not only that, there was a structure at the base capable of supporting it and a tail to ensure stability during flight. All on paper. The Italian YouTuber Jakidale he documented everything with a video published on his channel before the plane’s launch. The technical crux of the project is mainly linked to the structure. Every item had to be done by assembling glued sheets of paper. But above all it had to fly.
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If the structure were just paper and glue, it would be too heavy to fly. However, if it were too weak, the plane would collapse on itself. For this reason the interior of each component was created with a structure called honeycomba hexagonal weave made from strips of paper that are put together. In this way the structure remains resistant but light. The only difference was perhaps the type of paper. Different materials were used: a heavier paper for the load-bearing structures and a lighter one, almost tissue paper, to cover them. The glue used, after various tests, was Vinavil Pro. An improved version of the basic Vinavil that we find on the market. The company is tagged in some videos but we don’t know if it sponsored the project.
The launch, and the record result
The last constraints to enter the Guinness Book of Records concerned the airplane launch. It had to be done from a platform no more than three meters high and the launch had to be performed by a single person. Once the Project Icarus plane left the launcher’s hands, it hit the target. Ha traveled about 60 meters in totaland then veered slightly to its right and rested on the hangar floor during the We Make Future fair. Mission accomplished: the record is certified.
