Fox Valley Civil Air Patrol photo.

It appears like a group of Fox Valley Civil Air Patrol cadets has set the Guinness World Record for the highest paper airplane flight ever.

Members of the Fox Valley Composite Squadron, the local unit of the Civil Air Patrol, made the “third time a charm” on Saturday, Sept. 13, when they successfully sent a paper airplane soaring to a height of 96,563 feet — 18.3 miles straight up into the stratosphere.

The group is still awaiting for official confirmation from Guinness, but the record looks like a “lock.”

“Mission Control” for the paper airplane was at DuPage Airport, 32W581 Tower Road, West Chicago, while the launch site was Kankakee Airport, 1520 South State Route 115, Kankakee. It was the third time the group attempted the world record.

According to a FoxCap.org press release, the squadron embarked on the project as a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math experience for their cadets, youths ages 12-18, and made their second attempt last December. At that time, the squadron launched a custom-built 28-inch paper aircraft — carrying a payload that included two high-definition video cameras and a GPS tracking system — attached to a large, latex weather balloon.

But as the balloon ascended through an altitude of 85,153 feet, it experienced a premature burst,  just shy of the current 89,591 foot record, sending their paper airplane gliding back to Earth earlier than planned.

Further adding to this setback, during the paper airplane’s descent, the real-time GPS reporting system stopped updating its coordinates, making it next-to-impossible to pinpoint the landing site of the aircraft.

The group learned from its mistakes, and this time, the 96,563-foot peak height was achieved just northwest of Winamac, before the plane landed in a field west of Rochester, according to an article in the South Bend Tribune.

–News Bulletin news sources