A group of students from the University of Pisa has set a Guinness World Record by building the world’s largest paper aeroplane. The aircraft is the result of ICARUS, a project conceived by engineering students at the University and developed with the support of science communicator and content creator Jakidale.
Built entirely by hand using only paper and glue, the aircraft had a 20.04-metre wingspan, was 7 metres long, and flew 59 metres, surpassing the previous world record held by the Braunschweig Institute of Technology since 2013. The record was officially certified on 25 June at WMF – We Make Future, held at BolognaFiere.
The University of Pisa team consisted of 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.
“It all started with a few paper aeroplanes between lectures, almost as a joke. We were students convinced that, with the right approach, even a sheet of paper could become a genuine engineering project,” the team said. “Months of study, simulations, setbacks and fresh starts followed. In the end, we succeeded in bringing back to Italy a world record that had stood for thirteen years.”
Video: Launch of the aircraft
Video: Construction of the aircraft
