... For paper airplane flight distance!!!
[
video ]
Marin paper airplane expert uses Ayoob's arm to set world recordBy Dave Allen
Marin Independent JournalPosted: 02/28/2012 01:28:51 PM PSTJoe Ayoob is used to setting records with his arm, but not like this. On Sunday Ayoob, the former Cal quarterback from Terra Linda, set the world record for longest paper airplane throw when he launched a glider
226 feet, 4 inches.
It was an exhilarating experience for Ayoob and the man who folded the paper airplane, John Collins, a Marin City resident who works as a television producer for KRON Channel 4.
"It was a proud moment," said Ayoob, who started working with Collins on the project 18 months ago. "I used to make a paper airplane every day when I was a kid. I love it."
Collins' devotion to paper airplanes is tireless. He has published two books on the subject and had enlisted former Cal quarterback Mike Pawalski (who bowed out with an injury) and then Marin Catholic grad Jimmy Collins (a Portland State alum who got too busy with coaching duties at City College of San Francisco) before connecting with Ayoob.
"I've been saying for years that I thought I could beat the world record," John Collins said. "When I talked to Joe and found out he was a big paper airplane fan, we felt like we had a good combination."
It all came together in the hangar for electronics mogul Randy Fry's 747 jumbo jet at McClellan Air Force Bace near Sacramento. Since discovering the A4 Conquistador paper (it's thick and ridgeless, which is key), Ayoob threw Collins' plane past the record mark several times in practice events earlier in the year. But with the high-speed cameras rolling and the hangar filled with families and friends last weekend, the pressure was on.
"It was perfect. It just kept going and going," said Ayoob, who threw a record-breaking distance during the practice warmups that include a loop from the plane.
"He hit the back wall on a couple practice throws. ... That means he was throwing a paper airplane 80 yards," Collins said. "How far can it really go? Who knows?"
In order to qualify as the new record recognized by Guinness World Records, the attempt needed to be videotaped, witnessed and measured by a surveyor with a laser. All that was done, which means Collins hopes to hear some official good news in three to six months.
"But (current record holder) Stephen (Krieger) is telling me he thinks he can beat our distance," Collins said. "So it's on." Krieger, of Bellevue, Wash., holds the official record of 207 feet, 4 inches.
Ayoob, 27, who played indoor pro football after his time at Cal, has kept himself in football shape and was invited to try out for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League this year. He runs a football training business in Marin called Game Ready and just became a full-time sales representative for Anchor Steam beer — which led him to pass on the opportunity in Arizona.
"It's been an exciting time," he said.
The pursuit of the record included lots of weekend testing at Moffett Field in the South Bay and even a failed record attempt at a hangar in the Mojave Desert. When the record finally fell, Collins couldn't contain his excitement.
"The response has been great," he said. "KRON did a nice thing on the news (Monday night) and I've even heard from ESPN about maybe showing the video."
