Paper airplane wizard knows when to fold 'em, hold 'em

"I SOUND LIKE SUCH A GEEK": Randy Fischer shows off the "Crazy Fisch" at the Planes for Peru competition. / Photo by Jen Beasley

By Jen Beasley

March 5, 3007 | If Randy Fischer lived in Metropolis, he might continually be disappointed to discover that Superman was not, in fact, a plane.

The Utah State junior in the aviation technology/professional pilot program loves planes. Not only does he fly big metal ones for school, but he is also darn good at making small ones out of paper. He's been doing it in earnest since he was little.

"It becomes a serious business when you get down to it," Fischer said. "I hate talking about it because I sound like such a geek."

On Friday, Fischer was putting that geekiness to good use, competing in the "Planes for Peru" paper airplane contest.

The contest, which was held as part of a class project for Management and Human Resources 3110, sold pieces of paper for a dollar to raise money to set up micro-loan accounts for would-be entrepreneurs in Peru and Chile. The accounts will give loans of a few hundred dollars to people in those countries who need capital to begin their small businesses, but lack the credit to obtain a traditional bank loan. Contestants were challenged to make a plane that could hit one of two targets on the field at Romney Stadium.

It was the perfect event for a paper airplane lover.

Fischer bought several of the planes and intently folded many different styles before the event, detailing the variables in the craft. He said the day's cold temperature, the angle at which the plane is thrown, any minute creases or warps in the plane, the weight of the paper, and even the ink printed on it can all affect the way a plane will perform in flight.

"There's so many different variables to it," Fischer said. "Even the moisture in my hands right now is affecting the paper."

"It's all the aerodynamic principles of flight," Fischer said.

But because hang time, and not precision flight, is Fischer's forte, he was reserved in his confidence about hitting the target, even with his extensive knowledge about paper airplanes.

"It's not what I normally do," Fischer said. "A lot of it's just luck."

Fischer did advance out of the first round when one of his sleek, pointed jet designs came close enough to the target, but did not win in the final round.

"My throws are off," he said. "My strategy here was just make a point and throw it at it, and, well, I'm better at hang time."

Being good at hang time, however, paid off for Fischer in the past. In 2006 was sent to Salzburg, Austria, as a finalist in the "Red Bull Paper Wings" contest, after winning a regional event at USU in the hang time category. The expenses of the contest, sponsored by the energy drink maker that "gives you wings," were covered by Red Bull.

"I had authentic weinerschnitzel on Red Bull's dime," Fischer said.

Fischer placed fifth in that contest, competing with airplane junkies from all over the world, including Lebanon, Germany and Brazil. While there he got to meet Ken Blackburn, "the nicest guy in the world," who holds the world record for a paper airplane's time aloft, at 27.6 seconds.

Fischer said many of the ideas for his own planes are inspired by Blackburn's designs, including the "Crazy Fisch," a flat, Wright Brothers-esque floater Fischer named on the spot at the Planes for Peru contest, using his last name. He said experimentation and studying Blackburn have been integral to his success at paper airplane folding.

"If you've ever seen a paper airplane book, he's the one who wrote it," Fischer said.

Fischer's friend Jamie Rothstein, a fellow junior in the aviation technology/professional pilot program, said given Fischer's affinity for all things plane, he wasn't surprised at all when Fischer went to the competition in Austria.

"He loves this stuff," Rothstein said. "[We tease him] a little, mainly just having fun. Mainly, it's just me."

Though Fischer said the chance to spend a week in Austria was a great experience, his favorite part of winning the contest was, of course, a bit more fundamental to aviation.

"My favorite part overall was flying in all the airplanes getting there," Fischer said.

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