Giant Paper Airplane Hits 98 MPH Over Arizona [Video]

A 45-foot long airplane made an entirely of paper nearly hit 100 mph today as he soared above Arizona.

The plane, which was made entirely of Falconboard paper, was towed 4000ft into the sky by a helicopter before it was released. The 800 pound plane hit 98 mph during its six second flight before returning to earth.

The Telegraph reports that the giant paper airplane has a 24 foot wingspan and could be the largest paper airplane in the world. The plane was built as part of a contest by the Pima Air & Space Museum. The contest encouraged children to build a far-flying paper airplane.

Post-flight, Yvonne Morris, executive director of the museum and the Arizona Aerospace Foundation, said:

“The arresting visual of the paper airplane in flight rekindled the childhood creativity in all of us. The museum is thrilled to conduct the first-ever Great Paper Airplane Launch, part of our larger effort to inspire America’s youth and spark a passion for aviation and engineering in the next generation.”

Here’s a video of the giant airplane’s 98 mph flight.

If you think the giant paper airplane is impressive, check out this video of the world record paper airplane toss.