Dr Yicheng Sun, a research fellow in Aerospace Vehicle Design at Cranfield University, will attempt to set a world record for paper plane flight.
The 32-year-old will be competing at the final of the Red Bull Paper Wings competition this month.
Dr Yicheng Sun has already won the UK record for distance travelled with a 48-metre journey recorded. He now intends to fight it out with world competitors for the global title.
The Red Bull Paper Wings final takes place at their Salzburg base this week, on May 13th and May 14th.
Yicheng – who won the first paper plane event he entered as an undergraduate in China and has already beaten all his peers in Cranfield University’s own competition – is spending the next few days busily making tweaks to the design of his aircraft.
Red Bull rules stipulate competitors can only construct planes out of one piece of A4 paper, which must not weigh more than 100 grams. The sheet can only be modified by folding – with no ripping, gluing, cutting, stapling or ballasting allowed.
Cranfield University, just outside of Milton Keynes, where Yicheng is based, is a world-leader in aerospace research.
The University has its own airport and runway.
For more information on the MSc in Aerospace Vehicle Design visit the website.
