Editing Paper plane (section)

===Paper Pilot===
In 1984, Professor E.H. Mathews, lecturer in Thermodynamics at the [[University of the Witwatersrand]], South Africa published his first compendium of high-performance model aircraft. This book was ''Paper Pilot'' (Struik, 1984). This book was very successful, leading to additional volumes, ''Paper Pilot 2'' (1988), ''Paper Pilot 3'' (1991), ''12 Planes for the Paper Pilot'' (1993) and ''Ju 52'', a stand-alone book featuring a scale model. Unpublished models include an Airbus A320 scale model much like the Ju 52, seen on the ''Tekkies'' youth program in 1996.

The books featured patterns of parts printed on lightweight cardstock, to give the aircraft good flight penetration performance for long-distance flight.

Public interest in the gliders, and their publishing success, allowed some of the development to be broadcast on South African television during 1988 on the first book's release, and again 1993, to coincide with a national paper aeroplane competition tied to Paper Pilot 3's release. Aerodynamic design of the gliders was achieved making use of an optimised small wind tunnel - the flat-glider Britten Norman Trislander was filmed in this facility, with weight balances being used to demonstrate the optimisation of flight. The design of parts of the gliders was achieved using [[Autodesk AutoCAD]] R12, then the most advanced version of this CAD software, and one of the first publicly available paper model aeroplanes designed using this technology.

Construction of the gliders closely parallels that used in the White Wings series of gliders of Dr. Ninomiya for flat gliders. Later gliders with three-dimensional fuselages use a lightweight construction optimised for flight performance. Innovations include functional wheeled undercarriage which does not contribute to the drag budget while permitting good landings.

Paper pilot gliders make use a curved-plate aerofoil shape for best performance. Their design, like the White Wings gliders, is very sensitive to trim, and in fact have the capacity to make indoor flights in confined spaces under average conditions. Most in initial editions are equipped with catapult hook patterns, and demonstrate an ability to fly the length of a Rugby pitch when so launched.

Later editions and gliders were equipped with a [[bungee hook]], the construction of which was included in ''Paper Pilot 3'' and ''12 Planes for the Paper Pilot''. The bungee system publish parallels, at a smaller scale, the practice used in radio controlled and full-size sailplane launches, at a fraction of the cost and complexity. To date, this is the only known example of such a launch system applied to a paper model aeroplane type published in book form. Flight performance on bungee is very good - one glider in particular, a scale model U-2 (in the last book of the series) had demonstrated flight performance in excess of 120 meters, on bungee hook launch.