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This article was taken from the January 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
From the humble dart to the electrically enhanced nakamura lock, Wired launches itself into the world of paper planes.
How we tested
We enlisted the help of Andy Currey to give the latest paper-plane apps, books and accessories a test flight at the cavernous O2 in east London. Currey, a one-time world record holder (20.9 seconds flight-time) and reigning British distance record holder (31.69m), built and tested the planes using the materials provided or standard 80gsm copier paper.
PowerUp 2.0 Electric Paper Airplane Conversion Kit
Adding power to your paper aeroplane to prolong flight-time is technically cheating, but this ultra-light carbon-fibre rod, battery and propeller supercharges most glider or dart designs (we used the supplied Nakamura Lock). The results, according to Andy Currey - maker of British record-holding paper planes - were disappointing. "The idea is brilliant," he says, "but it is just too nose-heavy." Experimenting with alternative designs may help, but for this test, at least, it "literally bombed".
Wired: Impressive design; easy to charge
Tired: Feeble flights
Score: 4/10
Cost: $16.99
Specifications
Designs: Four
Batteries: 3 x AA
Paper Airplanes by Firefly This Android app has a selection of plane designs to try, following either step-by-step graphics or YouTube videos.
Additional plane-folds are nice and cheap to download, but its is a bit awkward compared to its iOS rival. Currey felt "the app is great for basic designs".
Wired: Good starting point; YouTube videos
Tired: Clunky layout; occasionally confusing fold symbols
Cost: £Free Google Play (extra designs £0.56 per pack of four)
Specifications
Designs: 11 free, 15 locked
Videos: 20+
The Best Advanced Paper Aircraft Book by Carmel D Morris
If you're bored of the basic dart and want a challenge, there's a lot to enjoy here. Using clear language and drawings, the instructions are easy to follow, although Currey thought that "understanding the 2D drawings and converting to 3D was difficult".
The "Long Distance Glider" was a top performer.
Wired: Impressive fold-only designs
Tired: Fiddly
Score: 7/10
Cost: £5.50
Specifications
Designs: 14
Equipment: Scissors
Paperchase Paper Aeroplane Notepad
Great for banishing office boredom, each page of this lined notepad comes with folding instructions to turn your meeting minutes into missiles. There are five designs on the pad, but the inside-out folding is "a faff; you fold once and it is hard to see the lines for the next step". The "Glider" was more of a dart.
Disappointing.
Wired: Fun recycling; boredom alleviator
Tired: Unreadable instructions
Score: 5/10
Cost: £5
Specifications
Designs: Five
Pages: 100
High-Performance Paper Airplanes by Andrew Dewar
These card planes require a model-maker's steady hand and plenty of glue. Once you've got the hang of it (it took us three planes) you'll love this. Currey was impressed with his build: "It may not bea traditional plane, but it flew across the O2 without even using the launcher."
Wired: Long flights
Tired: Tricky to build
Score: 8/10
Cost: £16 amazon.co.uk
Specifications
Designs: Ten
Accessories: Catapult
Equipment: Scissors, craft knife, craft glue, toothpick, ruler
How to make Paper Airplanes
Big, bright and beautifully executed, the stop-motion style animation in this iOS app is simple and clear. Currey liked how "the layout worked on the iPad and took the work out of understanding difficult folds". Shame the "Super Plane 2" dart didn't live up to its billing...
Wired: Great visuals; clear instructions
Tired: Buggy app; flights are variable
Cost: £Free iTunes (21 extra planes for £1.49)
Specifications
Designs: Four free, 21 more for £1.49
Equipment: Paper, iOS device
Star Wars Folded Flyers
Featuring fantastic graphics and folding tips from Yoda, vehicles such as the X-Wing make for fun, involving builds. These planes take an age to construct, but the instructions are clear and the finished designs look exceptional. Sadly though, not even The Force can help these mynocks take flight. "The Millennium Falcon just wouldn't fly," says a heartbroken Currey.
Wired: Star Wars!
Tired: Poor flights
Score: 6/10
Cost: £14.99 amazon.co.uk
Specifications
Designs: Six
Equipment: Scissors, tape
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
