Italian students build largest paper plane ever, spans six stories and successfully flies
A group of talented aerospace engineering students in Bologna, Italy have claimed an incredible Guinness World Records title for the largest paper aircraft on Earth, after launching their high-flying Icarus on 25 June.
With a wingspan of 65.75 ft (20.04 m), and a length of over 23 ft (7 m), this colossal creation was made entirely out of paper and glue – and successfully soared into the record books after flying down the length of an aeroplane hangar.
Designed by seven Italians at the University of Pisa – including social media star Jakidale – the team stumbled across the previous record of 59.74 ft (18.21 m) while studying for exams, and were inspired to break the title held since 2013 by the Braunschweig Institute of Technology (Germany).
Their playful idea quickly turned into a real project, and soon they brought in a total of 16 helpers to work on both the technical and production side. After a MATLAB simulation, two prototypes, and months of work, they finally unveiled Icarus at the EU’s We Make Future event in Bologna, where it coasted above the crowd of excited attendees.
“It all started with a few paper planes between lectures,” said the group in a statement to GWR. “We were students convinced that, with the right approach, even a piece of paper could become real engineering.
“Months of study, simulations, mistakes and fresh starts, and in the end, this giant piece of paper took a record from the Germans that had stood since 2013,” they continued, before cheekily adding that “Italians do it better!”
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Before building a giant paper airplane, the team ran a series of simulations online that could predict how a full-scale project would actually look.
They then assembled their first giant plane – nicknamed Prometheus, after the Greek titan who gifted fire and technology to humanity – which demonstrated the structural components they would need to carry into the next iteration.
Their next version was named Daedalus, a 26 ft (8 m) model made entirely from paper and glue, which was their first attempt at using the required building materials. It wasn’t perfect, but they learned from their mistakes, and improved their techniques on a 13 ft (4 m) model that could actually coast in the air.
And finally, they created Icarus – the mythological son of Daedalus, who flew too close to the sun. Despite its foreboding name, the team was encouraged by his story of flight, and over the next few weeks they carefully turned the 62.8 lb (28.5 kg) aircraft into a precise piece of engineered beauty.
On 25 June, the group was ready to launch Icarus in front of a large crowd of people gathered for the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) business and entrepreneurial event.
Next to a pair of automated robots, they carried the plane on top of a piece of scaffolding, where a colleague planned to sprint and toss the creation off the tower. From that point, it would need to fly at least 49 ft (15 m) in front of Guinness World Records Adjudicator Lorenzo Veltri to officially take the title.
Once Icarus was safely perched on their teammate’s palms, he took a deep breath before running the length of the scaffolding, and flinging the plane towards the opposite side of the hangar.
Briefly suspended upon a current of wind, the aircraft gently floated for a few dozen feet before gracefully sliding down towards the concrete below. Floating exactly like the paper planes that the students used to make in school – only 10 times bigger – the project worked exactly as intended, and they joyfully sprinted alongside Icarus as it reached its final destination.
“Big achievements always have a lot of hard work behind them, and this one was no different,” said the Adjudicator, after handing the elated students their GWR certificate.
“This unique combination of an engineering student team, and an expert in technology and content creation, produced one of those moments we've all experienced after completing something precise and painstaking – the moment you let go and see if it flies.
“Watching Icarus travel the length of that hangar was genuinely moving,” he continued. “These guys earned their place in the record books.”
And we couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
So congratulations to Jakidale and the entire team behind Progetto Icarus: Filippo De Paoli, Lorenzo Cioli, Emanuele Campinoti, Manuel Santoro, Giovanni Chiarelli, Luca Moni, Andrea Cipriano, Martina Cacciotti, Greta Ferrante, Gianmaria Ferrante, Jacopo Sardi, Dario Nista, Daniele Rusconi Braga, Dario Del Carlo, and Gabriele Frediani.
We can’t wait to see what great heights you all soar to next!