It wasn't just any paper airplane though. It was one created and thrown by paper airplane master Takuo Toda during the second of ten Guinness World Record attempts in Japan this weekend.

The record for a paper airplane thrown by a human hand is 27.9 seconds aloft, you see, and when Toda let loose with his second throw of the day, he appeared well on his way to breaking that record. Then a parked plane, a real live one—made of metal and electronics and probably a bathroom—got in the way and ruined everything. Contact with the plane disqualified the throw, and with it any chance of breaking the record. Toda can take some solace in the fact that he currently holds that 27.9 second record. I guess.

Nevertheless, after nine qualified throws, Toda was still able to break the record for a paper-only airplane with a 26.1-second flight (his earlier disqualified one was for a plane with tape. Confused?). His technique is simple: Throw upward, not outward, and let the plane's simple origami-inspired design slowly bring it back down to earth in something of a spiral.

Update: Here's some video from May of Toda demonstrating his earlier world record attempt in an empty hangar. I absolutely love the sound the little plane makes when he chucks it up into the rafters:

Next on Toda's to-do list is a rather lofty goal, one far beyond 30-second trips around an airplane hangar with tiny planes made from sheets of paper and the occasional piece of tape. He wants to head into space, and once there he'd like to launch a paper airplane into the ether and down onto earth. He's been working with JAXA, Japan's space agency, on a specially designed, heat-resistant model that he believes can withstand a violent, super hot reentry into our planet's atmosphere. Just don't let that one hit any planes. Please. [Boston.com]

Duh: Get To the Airport Early

Oh! More confirmation just this second from Kotaku's chief, Brian Crecente who is flying back from Australia right this moment with some very whiny kids (not his) a few rows away:

We had a second screening at the gate. Hands on thorough check of every bag. Also asked me to open my laptops, but not to turn it on. Then did a metal detector sweep of everyone and very quick pat down. Male security guards for men, women for women.

His captain said that there would be some security procedures they'd have to follow that "won't hurt" but are "slightly unusual."

Will They Search Your Underwear or Crotch For Air Safety?

No word on crotch pat downs, yet. UPDATE: It appears that the pat downs focus on the "torso" and "upper legs". Upper legs not quite the crotch. I'm torn. I'm happy to retain my security screening virginity, but Hhow will they find the rest of the underwear bombs without going all the way?

Be Ready For Anything, Especially Surprises

We have heard that only international flights entering the US are going to be going through these pains. But we've seen other data to the contrary, and again, we don't have official word about which flights will enforce these rules, except that we should expect randomness, especially in domestic flights (emphasis added):

"Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in."

However, readers are coming in with evidence that even domestic flights are being restricted somehow.

And from a Gynranger, who flew domestically:

I few yesterday, just a domestic flight, from New York, NY to Savanna, GA. We were allowed to use electronics but during take off until cruising alt and about 30 minutes before landing they made us shut everything off, including iPods or computers and other devices even those that didnt broadcast.

Again, be ready for hell.

The Important Stuff: Gadgets

It sounds, as if we'll be ok between take off and landing, with gadgets. British Airways is letting people bring electronics on the plane. Some flights are letting people use gadgets up until the last hour, some the last thirty minutes. But as said in this Jetblue audio recording, there will be no in flight entertainment system; "no movies, no tv, no xm radio, the system is required by federal government to be shut down." But it sounds like most flights are allowing gadgets, and all the variation in restriction is happening at landing.

Where You Are is a Secret. Like the Apple Tablet. So Not Really a Secret.

The government, according to some of our readers, have requested the in flight maps be turned off, too, to, I presume, eliminate the risk of geo precise bombings near the end of the flight? Then again, the flight attendants warning you to not get up the last hour of flight and landing gear dropping are sure signs of landing, so WTF.

It's Always Gonna Be Sweater-Weather

You're not allowed to have anything genuinely useful on your lap in the final hour of flight—the sterile period—and that rule includes blankets and the like. This makes attempting to snooze through the remaining portion of the trip chilly and awkward, particularly since pillows are banned as well, so it might be wise to at least dress warm enough to maintain some semblance of comfort.

Bring a Book or Prepare to Die of Boredom

Bring a book. Not a Kindle, not a Nook, not any other sort of ebook reader, but a plain ol' low-tech book. Because apparently books are pretty much the only thing you can have in your hands during the final hour of your flight ("the government says ok") and how the hell else will you keep from falling into a cold and uncomfortable slumber?

Here, more inconsistency appears, with some readers saying no books on landing either.

From Arturo:

We flew from Eugene, OR to San Francisco today: they would not even let us read paperback books that we had brought with us. According to them, the new TSA directive is that in the last hour of flight, we are not allowed to leave our seats, nor use or have anything from our carry-on luggage or personal items.

But it is unclear if the books were being restricted because the flyers didn't already have them in hand, or if they were in bags. Again: Confusing!

Tinkle Before the "Sterile Period" Starts

As if having to abandon your personal items during the last hour of the flight isn't enough, you're not allowed to get up to use the restroom during that time. The captain in the audio recording referred to the Since I doubt that your flight attendants would appreciate seeing you break out a bedpan, just plain head to the lavatory before the seat belt sign hits and a line forms.

Then again, some readers are reporting that on their flights, they saw plenty of standing up and walking around going on after the mandatory buckle up:

I must have seen 30 people still doing whatever 20 minutes in and half a dozen people just get up anyways for the final 40 minutes to use the bathroom, go to their bags, whatever, and that was just where I was sitting.

Again: Madness!

More News Soon, Says Pilot

We've been keeping an eye on what's happening in the news regarding flight security measures and gadget-centric regulations, but based on the pilot's announcement, it sounds like some "more news" will hit the wires "tomorrow". No idea if this recording happened yesterday or today, but we'll find out come Monday. I mean, the TSA has to say something, right? I mean, other than "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit" with their actions.

What Now?

That's what we've learned from that almost chilling recording. Of course, whether any of that will actually improve actual security is questionable. One thing is certain: All these procedures have raised my personal terror status to the sunset hue of orange-red. [Thanks, Jake Lodwick]

Special Addendum: If I am a Head of State or Roll Deep With Heads of State, Do I Have To Put Up With This Shit?

Answer: No! (See the TSA's Security Directive.)
Previously: The New, Terrifying No-Electronics US Flight Rules, Underwear Bomb: The New, Stained, Patted-Down Crotch of Terror, Electronics May Still Be OK for Some US Flights.

The man in this case, also from Nigeria, allegedly locked himself in the bathroom. Our tipster, Mike, asked, what's next, "new bathroom restrictions?" Whatever the case, we can be all but certain there will be no electronics allowed in the bathroom from here on out.

Thankfully, the plane landed safely in Detroit with no injuries, although we imagine that bathroom door is pretty banged up. This developing story will no doubt cast new uncertainties over the debate surrounding our on board electronics.

Update: No terror to see here. Just a guy with some indigestion who was spending a bit too much time in the restroom. [Huffington Post]

I bring that up because there was apparently this nasty rumor going around that all electronics would soon be banned on all British Airways and Virgina Atlantic flights once these inevitable "new security measures" went live. And could you imagine? A trans-Atlantic flight without laptop movies, MP3 jams and podcasts, and positively no covert airplane mode smartphone adult content? Hell in an aluminum tube, says I.

But it's apparently not true, for now. Both airways said electronics are still GO, even as some previouslt reported "unpredictable" security measures go into place over the next few days.

American carriers, like Continental, United and AA, have also not changed their security measures in the wake of the attempted Xmas Day terrorist attack—yet—so getting home from your relatives this week could still be moderately bearable, as far as air travel goes anyway. [Pocket Lint]

Previously, pilots would keep planes on the tarmac as long as possible out of fear of losing their place in the takeoff line, and an average of 1,500 flights (114,000 passengers) per year violate these new laws. Message to American, Delta, USAir et al: You want us to sit for longer than a movie, you better bring me some damn pretzels. [NYTimes]

It has been long way since we saw it complete for the first time but, after all the delays, the first commercial airliner fully made of composite materials is now a reality. [Gizmodo Dreamliner Coverage]

Weather, luck, and wishes permitting, the plane should be taking taking to the skies around 10:00 a.m. PST/ 1:00 p.m. EST, so we've got another 20 or so minutes to head over to the webcast site, prepare to either cheer at a success or sigh at another letdown, and wish good luck to my second favorite daydreamer. I've got faith in this one, how 'bout you? [New Airplane]

You can find updates on the flight status, and the actual webcast right here and you can place your friendly wagers on whether this'll be a success or not in the comments. [New Airplane —Thanks, Dustin!]

Built by Monaco-based Wally, the Aeroyacht 110 will be one of the largest and fastest multihull ships in the world when it is completed in late 2011. It's expected to reach 35 knots at full speed, thanks to a hull design by Morelli & Melvin, who created the US America's Cup contender Stars and Stripes.

And if that wasn't cool enough, this dream ship will carry an Icon A5, a space-age two-seat amphibian airplane:

The plane will be launched and retrieved from a special pod on the catamaran. Seriously, the only way it can get better than this would be to have a flying suit. [James List via Born Rich]

I'd like to think the research we're doing is going to end up in airframes and will potentially save lives. We crash-tested the helicopter by suspending it about 35 feet (10.7 m) into the air using cables. Then, as it swung to the ground, we used pyrotechnics to remove the cables just before the helicopter hit so that it reacted like it would in a real accident.

The test—which imitated the conditions of a "relatively severe helicopter crash"—appeared to be a success, although NASA is still going through the data collected by the 160 sensors on board, and the four crash test dummies with torsos specially designed to simulate the behavior of internal organs.

Created by engineer Sotiris Kellas at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Viginia, the kevlar honeycomb is not permanently deployed: It's always flat until it expands in the case of emergency, much like an airbag but using a flexible hinge instead of inflating. [NASA via PopSci]

For years we've been told that gadgets produce EMI—electromagnetic interference—that cause glitches in an aircraft's avionics. A cellphone could interrupt communication between pilots and the tower for a crucial second, or a child's Game Boy could cause a light on a flight computer to go on the fritz.

We can't take excess liquids on a plane on only the slimmest evidence of any real threat. If gadgets were such a threat to safety, they'd be banned entirely.

Instead, an arbitrary set of rules established by the FAA and extended by the airlines prohibits iPods during takeoff, but explicitly allow electric shavers to be used during flight.

Hundreds of travelers at this very moment are using electronic gadgets during takeoff after the flight attendants have taken their jump seats. We're told it's dangerous. It isn't. Let's drop the pretense.*

The EMI Lie

In 1993, the International Association of Transport Aircraft (IATA) suggested that airlines prohibit the use of personal electronic devices during takeoff and landing, despite a lack of evidence that these gadgets had caused a single accident. The IATA's Terry Denny then said, "We haven't been able to trace an accident to the use of one of these devices...but we are convinced that this could happen."

In the intervening decades, gadgets became something more than a toy for the rich or nerdy, but an intrinsic sidekick for nearly everyone. Especially the iPod.

In 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration commissioned a study to see if "intentionally transmitting" gadgets like cellphones and Wi-Fi caused interference with avionics. The final report "said there is insufficient information to support a wholesale change in policies that restrict use of PEDs." ("PEDs" is FAA-speak for a gadget, or "Personal Electronic Device(s)"; a PED with a radio transmitter is a "T-PED".)

Which is to say, they couldn't find a reason to change their policy—but there hadn't been a whole lot of evidence to begin with.

Yet the FAA has approved in-flight Wi-Fi service for a variety of airlines. While the routers and systems must undergo an FAA certification, there's nothing magical about the onboard 2.4GHz signal broadcast that prevents it from interfering with the plane's avionics. The thousands of flights completed safely each day—a marvelous and commendable record, it should be noted—clearly indicate that having activated gadgets on board aircraft does nothing of negative consequence.

So your laptop's Wi-Fi won't mess up the planes avionics, but your Kindle might? How fragile are these planes?

"But it's about paying attention"

I've had conversations with pilots and other employees of airlines about this issue before, and after they realize the electromagnetic interference argument isn't going to fly, they invariably change tack to "safety". "Takeoff and landing are the most dangerous parts of the flight," they say. "And it's important that passengers be able to hear instructions from the crew in case something goes wrong."

That's a nice idea, but look around the cabin of an embarking aircraft. Parents are soothing cranky kids. People are asleep. Many passengers are drunk or medicated to help address anxiety.

If there were an accident, alerting an unaware person with headphones would take no more effort than nudging a sleeping person next to you. It's not prohibited to sleep during takeoff, just as it isn't prohibited to read a book or magazine or to be deaf. (This also presumes that a passenger could do anything to protect themselves or others during a takeoff accident, even though we all know that in a majority of incidents, there's little to do except pray.)

Ah, but what about gadgets flying around the cabin as missiles if there is turbulence? It could happen, sure, but is a Kindle appreciably more dangerous than a hardcover book? If a Nintendo DS could hurt someone during an unexpected loss of altitude, why are they ever allowed to be unstowed? The answer is simply that the likelihood of these things happening is far less than the likelihood that customers will go absolutely apoplectic if they aren't allowed some sort of inflight entertainment.

If the airlines are already able to make a judgement between ultimate safety and convenience, why not loosen up just a little more?

Little things matter

I have a lot of sympathy for flight attendants. Herding and soothing a few dozen passengers, many of whom are belligerent and rude, is a thankless job. Their jobs should be easier. They're the ones who have to explain to passengers why the pilots were too busy playing with their laptops to land the plane.

But every time a flight attendant perpetuates the lie that these harmless gadgets are somehow a threat to safety, it erodes the faith that they should be cultivating with their customers. How are we to trust someone telling us that reading a Kindle during takeoff is dangerous as we stare across a field of EMI-spewing LCD seat-back screens?

Here's a deal: I'll listen attentively to the flight safety demonstration, make doubly sure to note where the exit doors are and who I'll have to climb over to get to them—and you guys will let me listen to my iPod after the flight attendants are in their seats and I'm making peace with my god.

Trust me, I'll be a lot more apt to listen to flight attendants commands if they don't start the flight with a well-intentioned deception. And more likely to believe the FAA and the TSA when it comes to other security and safety concerns when some of their policies aren't demonstrable half-truths.

* I'm not talking about using Wi-Fi or cellphones during takeoff. I'm in complete support of "Airplane Mode" during takeoff, if not the entire flight. What anecdotal evidence there is about EMI from gadgets is almost exclusively suspected to be from radios and other transmitters.

@joeljohnson deals primarily with first-world problems, but hopes it does not interfere with your pursuit of fixing third-world ones. This isn't the last he's got to say about this issue.

Not only the first class is actually a super-first class with seats bigger than my apartment, but the Airbus A380 is so huge that Emirates' business class actually feels like the first class from the rest of the airlines. I have to admit that, despite all that horrible gold and rose wood naffness, I'm impressed. [FlightGlobal]

There's a possibility that it may have a canopy above the nose, which means it could be a very small manned plane instead of a UAV. On the other side, it could just be the air intake. Its buttocks look like those of the P175 Polecat, a design by Skunk Works—Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs. Whatever it is, I want one for xmas. [Flight Global]

Waaaay beyond actually. That way you can bitch at the baggage handlers tossing your luggage off a plane in Alaska while you sit in the airport in Philadelphia. [TYNKE via TRFJ via OhGizmo]

Now, we can make light of this incident because all 117 passengers and crew walked away from the crash largely unharmed. The only real casualty was the captain's ego, although I think he's probably the talk of the terminal this morning. I mean come on—lava!

And check out this crazy quote from MSNBC:

The plane was flying from Kinshasa to Goma, and passengers had warned the crew that there were heavy clouds, Radio Okapi said.

Since when do the passengers do in-flight risk assessments for the crew? [MSNBC via Geekologie]

The Japanese military seems to be very happy about it, although it's not clear it will ever pass the prototype test phase. For now, only a full scale mockup for radar profiling—it appears as a group of insects or a bird, they say—and a RC model have been built. [Flight Global]

That's right, a passenger joyriding over South Africa with an experienced Silver Falcons air display team pilot steadied himself during an aerobatic maneuver by grabbing the ejection seat handle between his legs. Fortunately for him, ejection seats are fairly idiot proof—the chute opens automatically and he glided back to Earth unharmed. [Telegraph Image via Flickr]