Paper airplane sets world record while flying 82-miles
By RYAN GORMAN
A paper airplane set a new Guinness world record as it flew 82 miles this month.
A team of auxiliary U.S. Air Force volunteers launched the paper aircraft from a weather balloon 96,563 feet (more than 18 miles) in the air. It flew from Kankakee, Illinois to near Rochester, Indiana. Once certified, it will officially be the highest paper airplane flight from a high altitude balloon.
The Fox Valley Composite Squadron, based in suburban Chicago, announced the paper airplane's record flight in a press release on the unit's website.
The 30-inch-long, 14.5-inch-wide, one-pound aircraft took two hours and seven minutes to complete its record journey.
An on-board computer and GPS chip tracked its speed, trajectory and atmospheric conditions while an HD camera filmed the flight. The equipment was powered by a solar panel.
The plane was brought up into the stratosphere by a weather balloon and began its descent when the balloon popped, said the unit.
The record is unofficial until confirmed by Guinness.
The official world record for a hand-thrown paper airplane is 226-feet, 10-inches.
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