- Aerospace students in Bologna built the world's largest paper aircraft named Icarus
- Icarus has a wingspan of 65.75 feet and length over 23 feet, made from paper and glue
- The team used simulations, prototypes, and months of work before the successful flight
A group of aerospace engineering students in Bologna, Italy, has earned a place in the Guinness World Records by building and flying the world's largest paper aircraft. Their giant paper plane, named Icarus, was launched on June 25 and successfully flew down the length of an aeroplane hangar, reported Guinness World Records.
The paper aircraft has a wingspan of 65.75 feet (20.04 meters) and a length of more than 23 feet (7 meters). It was made entirely out of paper and glue. Its successful flight secured the Guinness World Records title for the largest paper aircraft on Earth.
What started as a fun idea soon became a full project. The team brought in 16 helpers to work on the technical and production side. After carrying out a MATLAB simulation, building two prototypes, and spending months on the project, they unveiled Icarus at the European Union's We Make Future event in Bologna, where it flew above the crowd.
Watch Video Here:
In a statement to Guinness World Records, the group said that everything started with a few paper planes between lectures. They said they were students who believed that, with the right approach, even a piece of paper could become real engineering.
The group said the project involved months of study, simulations, mistakes, and fresh starts.
Before building the final aircraft, the team carried out online simulations to predict how a full-scale version would perform. They first built a giant plane called Prometheus, named after the Greek titan, to test its structural design.
They later created Daedalus, a 26 feet (8 meters) model made entirely from paper and glue. Although it was not perfect, the team learned from it and improved their methods by building a 13 feet (4 meters) model that was able to coast through the air.
The final aircraft, Icarus, was named after the mythological son of Daedalus. Encouraged by the story of flight, the team spent the following weeks carefully building the 62.8 lb (28.5 kg) aircraft into what they described as a precise piece of engineered beauty.
