Here is your opportunity to fly high and be a pilot. Youngsters are gearing up for the paper wings competition in February that takes place in cities across the country. The winners of this competition will travel to Austria and battle with international paper plane pilots.
Viren Peres, a lawyer says, “I am going to start practicing right away. I will definitely go to Austria this time.” It is a close fight amongst the pilots. But the thrill of being a part of the entire experience and flying that plane is simply something else. Viren says, “This brings back childhood memories. As a child, I tried lighting the tail of my plane on fire and would throw it into a neighbour's house. If your notes often became paper planes in school, this competition will be a cake walk for you.”
The three rounds you can battle in are flight time, aerobatics and distance. Flight time is to see whose plane is in the air for the longest time. Aerobatics is to see whose plane is creatively designed. The distance competition is to see whose plane goes the farthest from the starting point. Sagar Khakhar, a student says, “Some might think that flying a plane can be easy. But, it requires lot of practice.”
Technique is also essential. Sagar says, “Having a little knowledge of physics helps. To get the maximum flight time, you should throw it at a 45 degrees angle.” To attain a decent length, you have to make sure your plane is light weight so that it can fly further. The plane needs to have a good balance and Viren adds, “Don’t ever throw a paper plane like it is a paper ball.” Ryan Gibbs represented the country at Austria in the last competition. He says, “In the airtime category, your plane should have a wide base, flat top and small nose in order to meet targets. If your plane touches the hanger despite your time duration being the longest you get disqualified.” Ryan had the longest duration in this category, but got disqualified as it touched the hanger.
Many young enthusiasts are part of the organising team. Lenora Bennis, a graduate says, “Last year, I was part of the organising team. It was quite the experience in the sense that it was an ideal amalgamation of fun and work. It’s entertaining to see reactions on everybody’s faces with sore arms and wide smiles.”