Cranfield aircraft designer runner-up at paper plane contest

A British aircraft designer has been crowned runner-up at the world's biggest paper plane competition.

Yicheng Sun's creation travelled 57.07m (187ft) at the Red Bull Paper Wings event in Salzburg, Austria, just 4m (13ft) short of the winner.

The 32-year-old fellow at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, beat 60 rivals in the distance category.

He said: "It is amazing, I can't believe it. When the competition starts, it's really tough."

Competitors were challenged to come up with the best aerodynamic designs and techniques for their planes, which can only be modified by folding, with no ripping, gluing, cutting, or stapling allowed.

More than 61,000 hopefuls from 60 countries had taken part in more than 500 qualifier events to reach the finals on Friday and Saturday.

Mr Sun had already broken the UK record for distance travelled, with a journey of 48m (157ft).

He would not share the exact design of his plane, but said there were many factors to consider.

"For example, I ensure the folds on my plane are exactly symmetrical, and I also ensure the quality of the folds by using items to compress the paper further," he said.

Lazar Krstic of Serbia won the distance category with a flight of 61.11m (200ft).

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