Paper Airplane Contest in Colorado

If you live anywhere near Pueblo, Colorado, you might want to check out a fun paper airplane contest sponsored by The Pueblo Chieftain and the Pueblo Historical Aircraft Association.

Here are the details:

What:
It's the 12th Annual Fly Pueblo Paper Airplane Contest

When:
Taking place at 10 am on June 9, 2007. Sign up and practice begins at 9am sharp!

Where:
It takes place at the Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. According to the Monday Morning Special of the The Pueblo Chieftain, the directions are simple: a) go to the airport b) find the museum.

What to bring:
A paper airplane or two (they will have extra paper), and a donation for the museum

Why:
Bunches of $50 prizes!

Author Chris Woodka talks about distractions and how paper airplanes fit in...

MONDAY MORNING SPECIAL
Mark those calendars: It’s almost time to fly

RATED: FOLD
For Ones Loving Distractions

My basement is the testing ground for dozens of new designs that could revolutionize the world of flight as I know it. I’ve folded everything I’ve learned over the years into this endeavor, and I’m waiting for it to take wing. The results are up in the air at this time, but the project is about to take off.

Those who know me know everything I know about aerodynamics is confined to a rather small area of study, however.

To be exact: 8 by 11 inches.

Lately, however, with the help of my assistant, 20-month-old grandson Evan, I have been refining my skills to an even finer degree: 6 by 7 inches to be precise.

The supplier for the material of our little project is Evan’s mom, who got me a wonderful desk calendar that contains the designs for 365 airplanes. Actually, it’s more like 20 or 30, with some of them repeated over and over.

A few are actually more like origami experiments that don’t actually fly, unless a side-to-side free-fall on a collision course with the carpet is a definition of flight.

Anyway, Evan and I have become so engrossed in the magic of flight that I almost forgot: It’s almost time once again for the Monday Morning Special Fly Pueblo Paper airplane contest. Mark the date - 10 a.m. Saturday, June 9, at the Weisbrod Aircraft Museum - on your calendar. Then fold that sucker and throw it as far as you can.

(This, by the way, is my stock excuse if turnout is lower than expected: “They must have flung the date.”)

Remember, adults get to play the same as children at the contest. C’mon, I double-dare you. You’ll have fun, just like a kid. Or are you chicken?

To be honest, the airplane experiment in the basement is suffering some turbulence.

The other day, as I entered the laboratory, I noticed the blueprints lying in a particularly haphazard pile on the drawing board. This was bad, very bad. You see, the instructions for making each day’s airplane are on the back of the pattern for the next day. Or vice-versa. Anyway, they must stay in order for productive folding. Otherwise, I end up with a bunch of Frankenfolded monsters.

“Evan,” I said, immediately gaining my young charge’s attention. “Do you happen to know how all the pages came to be scattered on the table? Or why the corners are bitten off on some of them?”

With all innocence, Evan looked up at me and threw his arms into the air: “Ta-da!”

Trapped.

At this point, all I could do was praise the lad and pat him on the head. We’d been working on “ta-da!” for several days, and Evan had certainly recognized a situation where it could be useful. I collected the sheets and even managed to fold a page into an approximation of what I guessed it should look like.

“What do you think, Evan?” I asked, flying the F-16 Falcon into a corner of the room.

It should be noted here that the basement is considerably smaller than the airport hangar where the contest is held. Most of my creations now incorporate the “accordion nose manifold” following the maiden flight of each model. They all hit a wall, so to speak.

“No-o-o!” Evan reported back.

Evan crumpled the plane into a design he pioneered, called the “No Plane” because that’s what grandpa called it the first time. Basically, to build a no plane, you fold all four corners together, wad it into a ball and stick it in your pocket for later disposal.

Some of the planes actually have passed Evan’s discerning scrutiny, however, and we’ll bring whatever we can muster from the squadron to the big event.

Finally, the results of an experiment last summer, following the 2006 Fly Pueblo Paper event.

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I took the Arvada set of grandsons, Noah, 10, and Reichle, 6, to the Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in an attempt to make an otherwise ordinary summer day something special.

The boys were suitably awed. Between sitting at the controls of a vintage bomber, learning about World War II and taking home some models, they could not be happier.

How impressed were they?

On a later visit, they dragged their parents along for a return trip to the museum.

If you haven’t seen the museum, with its rows of planes, accessories and historical interpretation, the airplane contest is a great opportunity for a little recon.

And, if you’re a Fly Pueblo Paper regular, we’ll look forward to seeing you again. You’re not chicken, are you?
The Pueblo Chieftain Online

Mascot: Kasey and ?
Owners: Terry and Dan Coy
Suggested slogan: Is there a "catagory" for six-legged cats?
Our revised slogan: Getting a leg up with MMS.Send mascot suggestions to: Color glossy prints only

I've got your mascot right here
c/o Chris Woodka
The Pueblo Chieftain
P.O. Box 4040
Pueblo, CO 81003

Digital (high-resolution) photos: cwoodka@chieftain.com