Giant paper airplane takes to the skies - VIDEO

Paper airplanes may generally be the preserve of bored school kids, but a team of designers and aviators have taken things one step further. A giant 363kg paper plane, called the Arturo Desert Eagle, was lifted around 4,000 feet into the air before being released and reaching speeds of around 98 miles per hour.

Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson was behind the plane, which had a wingspan of 24 feet, with the project originally taking off back in January.

The 45-foot paper plane being raised into the sky by a helicopter before its launch (Pic: Reuters)  It began with a joint paper plane competition between the museum and a local newspaper aimed at six to 14-year-olds. Competition winner, Arturo Valdenegro, 12, had the chance to help with the design.

However, it seems that as is so often the case, it was the big kids who ended up having most of the fun. Workers prepare to launch the plane in Arizona.

Yvonne Morris, executive director of the museum and the Arizona Aerospace Foundation, said after the flight: 'The arresting visual of the paper airplane in flight rekindled the childhood creativity in all of us.'

She added that the project was 'part of our larger effort to inspire America's youth and spark a passion for aviation and engineering in the next generation'. Officials claim that the plane flew for six seconds on its own before returning to the ground.