Naturally, paper planes are as old as paper itself, dating back to 490 BCE. The interesting historical implications of paper airplanes are that they helped define man-made air travel; Leonardo da Vinci folded some paper aircraft in order to develop his ornithopter and parachute designs. Sir George Cayley and other pioneers of flight began testing paper gliders in wind tunnels and natural environments in the late 1800’s as well.
Also, who would have thought that Wilbur and Orville Wright were using paper airplanes to test their designs at the turn of the century? I sure didn't know that. Someone should tell my third grade teacher that my “wasting time” with aerogami (clever, eh?) actually lead to the first manned flight in Kitty Hawk all those years ago. Even if your paper airplanes don’t fly too far (many of mine have taken dramatic nose-dives into the ground), you’re always learning something by trying one out. If experimenting outdoors, one sees the effects of airflow and the physical properties of their materials in action. Indoors, the emphasis can be heavier on aesthetic design and competition (the same environmental conditions mean a fair game of “which plane goes further”).
Paper airplanes are the perfect activity, because everyone likes to see something bend the rules of physics. In the classroom they may be a dastardly distraction, but there is scientific and artistic merit to the design and experimentation of paper aircraft. Plus they are a whole lot cooler than those dopey fortune teller thingies (can you tell how my fortune was always unfair?).
Fly! Fold your first prototype and become the small-scale, paper version of Howard Hughes. Maybe you can win a contest, such as the one sponsored by the Scholastic publishing company, who put out all those great books I read in grade school…because the paper plane books were taken.
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