Paper plane
[1] The art of paper plane folding dates back to the 19th century, with roots in various cultures around the world, where they have been used for entertainment, education, and even as tools for understanding aerodynamics.
The mechanics of paper planes are grounded in the fundamental principles of flight, including lift, thrust, drag, and gravity.
By manipulating these forces through different folding techniques and designs, enthusiasts can create planes that exhibit a wide range of flight characteristics, such as distance, stability, agility, and time aloft.
Competitions and events dedicated to paper plane flying highlight the skill and creativity involved in crafting the perfect design, fostering a community of hobbyists and educators alike.
In addition to their recreational appeal, paper planes serve as practical educational tools, allowing students to explore concepts in physics and engineering.
Overall, paper planes encapsulate a blend of art, science, and fun, making them a unique phenomenon in both childhood play and academic exploration.
Paper airplanes are known to have been made as far back as the mid 19th century, based on an American children's book describing their construction from 1864.
I recall that on one occasion at a rather dignified dinner meeting following a conference in Delft, Holland, my sister, who sat next to him at the table, asked him a question on the mechanics of flight.
[citation needed] Unmodified origami paper aircraft have very poor glide ratios, often not better than 7.5:1 depending on construction and materials.
Modification of origami paper gliders can lead to marked improvements in flight performance, at the cost of weight and often with the inclusion of aerodynamic and/or structural compromises.
Profile gliders encounter a limitation for improvement of flight performance based on their wing types, which are typically curved-plate aerofoils.
Improvement in performance is possible through modelling three-dimensional fuselages which encourage laminar flow, and in internally braced wings which can then have high-lift aerofoil profiles, such as the Clark Y or NACA 4 or 6 series, for high lift.
In Japan in the late 1960s, Professor Yasuaki Ninomiya designed an advanced type of paper aircraft, which were published in two books, Jet Age Jamboree (1966) and Airborne All-Stars (1967).
Noteworthy as well was the careful design of gliders so that they could fly without ballast – his F-4 Phantom II model is able to be flown immediately without recourse to paperclips etc.
In 1984, Professor E.H. Mathews, lecturer in Thermodynamics at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa published his first compendium of high-performance model aircraft.
Their design, like the White Wings gliders, is very sensitive to trim, and in fact have the capacity to make indoor flights in confined spaces under average conditions.
Most in initial editions are equipped with catapult hook patterns, and demonstrate an ability to fly the length of a Rugby pitch when so launched.
The bungee system publish parallels, at a smaller scale, the practice used in radio controlled and full-size sailplane launches, at a fraction of the cost and complexity.
[citation needed] The world's first known published forward-gliding paper autogyro with forward-pointing body lifted by spinning blades was built by James Zongker.
WWI biplanes, if designed for flight performance, will often have curved-plate aerofoils, as these produce a highly cambered surfaces and Coefficient of Lift (Cl) for low gliding airspeeds.
WWII monoplanes will often have very scale-like sections, though with increased trailing edge droop to improve camber in comparison with scale counterparts.
Similarly, size, airspeed and mass will have very big impacts on choice of aerofoil, though this is a universal consideration in model plane design, no matter the material.
Independently, Edmond Hui invented a Stealth Bomber-like paper plane called the Paperang in 1977,[13] based on hang glider aerodynamics.
Uniquely, it has properly controlled airfoil sections, high-aspect-ratio wings, and a construction method designed to allow the builder to vary every aspect of its shape.
In 1975, origami artist Michael LaFosse designed a pure origami (one sheet; no cutting, glue or staples...) flying wing, which he named the "Art Deco Wing".Though its aerodynamic form mimics some hang glider and supersonic airfoils, its invention evolved from exploring the beauty of folded paper first.
However, the plane developers, Takuo Toda (see World Records above) and fellow enthusiast Shinji Suzuki, an aeronautical engineer and professor at Tokyo University, postponed the attempt after acknowledging it would be all but impossible to track them during the planes' week-long journey to Earth, assuming any of them survived the searing descent.
The planes were equipped with memory chips from which data could be uploaded, and were reported as having been found in other places in Europe, as well as Canada, India, South Africa and Australia.
