Prior to the invention of the flying machine, did people fold paper into the traditional paper airplane shape and let ‘er fly? Or did the airplane inspire the invention of the paper airplane? –Michael Anstead, Montreal, Quebec
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Unfortunately, that’s about all we can definitively say about paper airplanes, a subject that is shrouded in obscurity–deservedly, the cretins may say. Credit for the first paper airplane is generally given to Leonardo da Vinci, which is why Scientific American named the prize awarded in its 1967-’68 paper airplane contest the Leonardo. However, while Cecil does not want to take anything away from the ultimate Renaissance man (the picture of the chunky babe with the grin is a stitch), close examination suggests that he may not deserve the honor.
But it’s debatable whether Leonardo had any clue about airfoils, which of course are the heart and soul of paper airplanes and indeed of virtually all aircraft. Paper airplane aficionados, no doubt hoping to drag in a big name and thus lend a cloak of respectability to their craft, say Leonardo did understand airfoils and so may legitimately be said to be the father of the fold-’em-and-fly-’em school of aeronautics. But his notes and drawings make it pretty obvious that flying as he understood it was a brute force proposition–the way you stayed aloft was by flapping your wings, forcing air down, and clawing your way into the sky. This has little to do with paper airplanes, whose charm lies in their ability to stay aloft simply by gliding, with minimal exertion on the part of the thrower.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
