World’s Best Paper Plane Maker
January 17, 2014 3:46 PM Subscribe
When his classes at Vassar took up too much time—he actually stopped work on the 777 for two years because of college—Iaconi-Stewart dropped out.
Maybe there's a good job market for airplane modelers.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 3:56 PM on January 17, 2014
Maybe there's a good job market for airplane modelers.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 3:56 PM on January 17, 2014
Humanity just amazes the shit out of me sometimes.
posted by nevercalm at 4:17 PM on January 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by nevercalm at 4:17 PM on January 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
What you do with paper airplanes is, you run them into the couch on the first flight and smoosh the nose. Then you smooth it back out and attempt a few more flights, and then you ball the whole thing up and start over.
If this guy is SERIOUSLY committed to the proposition, that's what he'll do.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:22 PM on January 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
If this guy is SERIOUSLY committed to the proposition, that's what he'll do.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 4:22 PM on January 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
Sing Or Swim: "What you do with paper airplanes is, you run them into the couch on the first flight and smoosh the nose. Then you smooth it back out and attempt a few more flights, and then you ball the whole thing up and start over."
Actually, before you ball it up, you light it on fire and attempt one last flaming flight. Then you dump your beer on the flaming couch. Then just look at the others in the room shrug and say, "Sorry fraternity prank."
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:26 PM on January 17, 2014
Actually, before you ball it up, you light it on fire and attempt one last flaming flight. Then you dump your beer on the flaming couch. Then just look at the others in the room shrug and say, "Sorry fraternity prank."
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:26 PM on January 17, 2014
I wonder if he even made tiny copies of Skymall and the air-safety card to go in the seat pockets.
posted by Strange Interlude at 4:56 PM on January 17, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 4:56 PM on January 17, 2014 [9 favorites]
Heh. Yeah, this might not be a good one for lighting on fire unless you've got a clear path to the door.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 5:03 PM on January 17, 2014
posted by Sing Or Swim at 5:03 PM on January 17, 2014
Um, this is amazing.
posted by Lutoslawski at 5:10 PM on January 17, 2014
posted by Lutoslawski at 5:10 PM on January 17, 2014
Since he isn't averse to using a computer to print the templates, I wonder if anyone told him that Ponoko will laser cut cardstock like that.
posted by localroger at 5:17 PM on January 17, 2014
posted by localroger at 5:17 PM on January 17, 2014
That's impressive as hell. It reminds me of the guy who made a scale model of Minas Tirith out of matchsticks.
posted by mosk at 5:18 PM on January 17, 2014
posted by mosk at 5:18 PM on January 17, 2014
Sometimes I wonder what humanity could achieve if we focused our collective powers towards something constructive.
But at the moment I'm thinking, to hell with that, this is really cool, please carry on.
posted by Ned G at 5:26 PM on January 17, 2014
But at the moment I'm thinking, to hell with that, this is really cool, please carry on.
posted by Ned G at 5:26 PM on January 17, 2014
It's like those ship in a bottle hobbies. Also, obvious applicability to 3d printers—maybe one day anyone can have fun doing models that are very accurate with moveable parts.
posted by polymodus at 5:46 PM on January 17, 2014
posted by polymodus at 5:46 PM on January 17, 2014
If my kid decides to drop out of college when the time comes to build an enormous paper plane he is going to find me a lot less understanding than this guy's folks.
posted by sweet mister at 7:04 PM on January 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by sweet mister at 7:04 PM on January 17, 2014 [3 favorites]
one last flaming flight
Maybe this guy can get a job with the paper airplane NTSB.
posted by XMLicious at 8:20 PM on January 17, 2014
I've tried to work that small before, with objects that were one-thousandths as ambitious, and it drove me bugnuts ... I totally swore off the scale. This person has superhuman levels of patience. Hat tip, etc.
posted by user92371 at 9:58 PM on January 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by user92371 at 9:58 PM on January 17, 2014 [1 favorite]
I can't find the link but there used to be an annual charity event in the Kingdome in Seattle. You would pay a dollar for an official piece of paper, fold it into a paper airplane, and launch your airplane. At the center of the field in the Kingdome - named for King county and not for a love of royalty btw - was a target. Whoever lands their paper paper plane closest to the middle - think bullseye - won a car or something.
Perhaps unsuprisingly, even with thousands of participants, an engineer from Boeing won it in consecutive years.
posted by vapidave at 12:29 AM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
Perhaps unsuprisingly, even with thousands of participants, an engineer from Boeing won it in consecutive years.
posted by vapidave at 12:29 AM on January 18, 2014 [2 favorites]
As a fellow aeromodeler, this is amazing. It would take me 20 years to build something like that.
posted by smoothvirus at 9:27 AM on January 18, 2014
posted by smoothvirus at 9:27 AM on January 18, 2014
I personally would not classify that as a paper plane. While, yes, this man has constructed a beautiful and accurate model of a 777, and out of paper no less, it lacks a crucial aspect of all paper planes: the possibility for gliding flight. This fucker would crash faster than a sloth on a sugar rush.
Ken Blackburn's record 27 second flight.
posted by stinkfoot at 11:01 AM on January 18, 2014
Ken Blackburn's record 27 second flight.
posted by stinkfoot at 11:01 AM on January 18, 2014
Vapidave, here's one story about the "World Indoor Paper Airplane Championship" at the Kingdome.
posted by tavella at 1:24 PM on January 18, 2014
posted by tavella at 1:24 PM on January 18, 2014
He does this all in Illustrator, it's insane. I've been watching these all night.
Where else can I find hardcore papercraft like this?
posted by butterstick at 4:54 PM on January 19, 2014
Where else can I find hardcore papercraft like this?
posted by butterstick at 4:54 PM on January 19, 2014
OH! Almost forgot. You HAVE to stay for the end of the Paint Shop video. The lighting is bananas on that thing.
posted by butterstick at 4:58 PM on January 19, 2014
posted by butterstick at 4:58 PM on January 19, 2014
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