The giant paper plane is hoisted from the Earth in preparation for its maiden flight.

Paper planes may normally be the work of kids, but it’s fair to say you’d struggle to fly this particular model across a classroom.  A team of designers and aviators have made young boys’ dreams a reality by erecting what is thought to be the world’s biggest paper airplane. (Pics)

The project in Arizona saw the creation of the 45ft-long plane, which has a giant 24ft wingspan.

And not content with building the world’s biggest paper plane, experts took to the air for its maiden flight, where it was towed 4,000ft into the sky by a helicopter.

The plane then soared above Tucson, Arizona, at speeds of around 98 miles per hour before returning to Earth.

Just like most paper planes, this one was created in part by a young boy, although this time the youngster had won a competition to help with its design.

Arturo Valdenegro, 12, from Tucson, won a local newspaper contest by flying his own regular-sized paper plane further than any of his classmates.

In return for his victory, Arturo was part of the project team to build the plane and the final product, Arturo’s Desert Eagle, was named after him.

The Falconboard paper airplane was towed into the sky by a Sikorsky S58T helicopter, before being released to fly independently.

Those involved in the project say the paper plane flew for around six seconds on its own before descending rapidly to Earth.

As the plane glided through the Arizona sky, it was accompanied close by by a stunt plane to illustrate its scale and magnitude.

The Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson organised the project earlier this year, with the giant plane haing its first flight on Wednesday.

Tim Vimmerstedt, spokesperson for the Museum, told the project’s website: ‘For several shining moments, our huge, beautiful, silly, hubristic 45-foot paper airplane soared.’

Yvonne Morris, Executive Director of the Pima Air & Space Museum and Arizona Aerospace Foundation, said: ‘The arresting visual of the paper airplane in flight rekindled the childhood creativity in all of us.

‘The museum is thrilled to conduct the first-ever Great Paper Airplane Launch, part of our larger effort to inspire America’s youth and spark a passion for aviation and engineering in the next generation.’

Via Daily Mail