ESE student Tim van Walen won the Red Bull Paper Wings qualifying round held last Tuesday in C Hall at Erasmus University. His small paper aeroplane flew a distance of 19.5 metres.
This means that Tim’s paper craft flew 20 centimetres further than Stijn Houben’s craft. Stijn’s paper aeroplane flew 19.3 metres. Shane Amier landed in third place. The top 3 rankings received a ticket to the Dutch finals in Amsterdam on 19 April.
64 Metres
The competition is part of a worldwide contest. For the time being, the world record is beyond reach for the Rotterdam winner; that record stands at 64 metres. In addition to the longest distance, there were two other categories in which participants could qualify for the national finals: the longest airtime and aerobatics.
Kas Buunk won a prize in both of these categories. This ESE student’s aeroplane stayed aloft for the longest period of time and his throw furthermore earned him third place for aerobatics. Buunk applied a special origami technique. “I added an extra fold at the front, causing the aeroplane to make more loops. I will be practicing some more for the finals.”
Secret Weapon
Marc Morrin won second place in the aerobatics category. He also had a secret weapon: “You need to make one wing a little bit longer relative to the other wing. This way your aeroplane stays aloft longer.”
Faruk Ada said he only came for a free energy drink, but promptly earned first prize in the aerobatics category.
In total, 130 passers-by participated in the paper aeroplane folding and throwing spectacle. ES
