Paper Plane's Record Flight Causes a Ruckus

Plane's maker used a college quarterback to toss it
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted May 19, 2012 4:03 PM CDT

In February, the Guinness world record for tossing a paper airplane was broken by television producer John Collins, 51. But controversy erupted over the achievement, as Collins, who designed the paper plane, did not throw it himself but instead recruited a brawny 27-year-old college football quarterback named Joe Ayoob to do so. Ayoob now shares the record with Collins after launching the plane 226 feet and 10 inches inside an aircraft hangar, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Guinness officials have no qualms about allowing the airplane engineer to hold the record with a separate thrower, but many diehards and aficionados of the sport are crying foul. "I don't really think that's the spirit of the competition," said the previous-record holder, who threw his plane himself at age 15 in 2003. Energy drink maker Red Bull sponsored a paper airplane competition earlier this month with stricter rules, letting only the thrower receive the credit. In the Olympics, "the coach doesn't get the gold medal," said a Red Bull spokesman. (More John Collins stories.)

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