The history of paper airplanes probably goes back to the first pages of papyrus which were thrown at the trash can. The first flying devices to use paper were kites in China about 2000 years ago. Early hot air balloons, such as the first balloons made by the Montgofier Brothers in France in the late 1700's, also used paper in their construction. Their early model balloons were all paper, and their first human-carrying balloons of 1783 were cloth lined with paper. The origin of paper airplanes is somewhat a mystery.

The earliest reference to paper airplanes is to a Jack Northrop who used paper airplanes in the 1930's to help in his ideas for flying wing airplanes. In a sense, those paper airplanes helped shape a corporation and lead to the B-2 stealth bomber.

Making paper airplanes was common during the 1930's, so paper airplanes could likely have even inspired the Wright Brothers! So just imagine all the passengers buying cheap flight tickets at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stanstead, getting fed up with waiting for delayed and late flights and turning to making paper airplanes out of shear bordom.

Paper airplanes really are the cheaper way to enjoy an airplane.