Paper Wings has taken off

Brazil is a country of aeronauts. Proof of this was provided by the first qualifying heat for Red Bull Paper Wings.

It was a great moment for international paper aviation: the first national qualification heat for the international paper airplane competition Red Bull Paper Wings was held on 11 December in the hangar of Brazilian airline TAM.
Students from 12 Brazilian universities took part, and the level of the qualifying heat fulfilled the high expectations – both with regard to the aeronautical performances achieved and the constructional creativity.
Red Bull Paper Wings is the first worldwide paper airplane competition in the history of flying. Pilots from 48 countries across the globe have the opportunity of participating in the national qualifying heats – the Qualiflyers. There are three categories: Largest Distance, Longest Airtime and Acrobatic Flight. The best pilots from each country in these categories will win a ticket for an aircraft made of metal, which will convey them to Salzburg in Austria. The 144 national winners will compete against each other in the Grand Final at Hangar-7 in May 2006 – again in all three categories – broadening the boundaries of physics even further.