What began as a classroom pastime in Italy has turned into a remarkable engineering milestone. A team of students from the University of Pisa built and successfully launched a paper airplane named Icarus, setting a new Guinness World Records mark for the largest paper aircraft ever flown.
The aircraft measured 7 meters in length and stretched 20.04 meters across the wings, with a total weight of 28.49 kilograms. During its flight at an exhibition hall in Bologna on June 25, Icarus traveled 194 feet, or about 50 meters, far beyond the minimum distance required for the record.
Although the plane was made from paper and glue, its design followed the logic of full-scale aviation. The team used internal spars, ribs, a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a stabilizing tail to help the structure stay balanced in the air. Honeycomb paper sections added stiffness while keeping the aircraft relatively light.
Before the final launch, the students tested several prototypes and ran MATLAB simulations to refine the design. Earlier models such as Prometheus and Daedalus helped them study how paper, glue, and structural support could work together at a much larger scale.
The record attempt also had to meet strict flight rules: the aircraft had to be launched by one person from a platform no higher than 3 meters and travel at least 15 meters. At the We Make Future expo, a team member pushed the giant plane into the air, where it glided smoothly through the hall and secured the title.
This achievement shows how creativity, simulation, and hands-on experimentation can transform a simple idea into a breakthrough in student engineering. It may inspire future projects where playful concepts evolve into serious design innovation.
