Guinness Confirms Paper Airplane Record

When you're trying to throw a paper airplane farther than any paper airplane has gone before, paper matters. Conqueror CX22 100gsm, described by USA Today as one of the stiffest out there, was what three men used to make a paper airplane that Guinness World Records has confirmed went the distance: a record 252 feet and 7 inches. Kim Kyu Tae and Shin Moo Joon of South Korea, and Chee Yie Jian of Malaysia were the brains—and hands—behind the feat. Chee designed the paper aircraft (only a single sheet of paper and small amount of tape is allowed), Shin folded it, and Kim launched it.

The team actually made eight attempts, and even their least successful traveled beyond that of the previous record-holder, a plane that two Americans sent 226 feet, 10 inches in 2012. They also used Conqueror CX22 100gsm paper. The new record was set April 16. One quirky note on the feat: Chee not only wasn't present to see his design succeed, he has never met Shin or Kim in person. "The paper airplane community is small yet global, in that everyone knows one another online," Chee told Guinness. "I have known Shin close to a decade now and we’ve been constantly discussing new ways to fly higher, further, and longer via email and social media." (Guinness also certified a huge surfing record this week.)