Paper plane takes record-breaking 252-foot flight in South Korea


May 19 (UPI) -- A trio of paper aircraft enthusiasts broke a Guinness World Record in South Korea when they sent a folded plane for a flight of 252 feet, 7 inches.

The paper airplane was designed by Chee Yie Jian of Malaysia, folded by Shin Moo Joon of South Korea and thrown into the air by Kim Kyu Tae of South Korea.

Kim threw the plane eight times, achieving a distance of 252 feet and 7 inches with his best throw. The throw took the Guinness World Record for farthest flight of a paper aircraft from quarterback Joe Ayoob and paper airplane designer John M. Collins, whose folded flying machine reached a distance of 226 feet and 10 inches in 2012.

"My design coupled with Shin's wing mods/adjustments and Kim's 'rocket arm' is a winning combination, so I wasn't worried," Chee Yie Jian told Guinness World Records.

Chee formed the "Shin Kim Chee Team" after a 2019 attempt at breaking the world record fell short. Chee was not present for the record-breaking attempt, and has never met the other two men in person, but he and Shin have been corresponding for years.

"The paper airplane community is small yet global, in that everyone knows one another online," Chee said. "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."