In Kharkiv, competitions in paper airplane flying were held.

To participate in the paper airplane racing competition, you first need to build your own aircraft by hand, and then test its speed, range, and aerobatic capabilities—participants only have two attempts at this. The runway for the paper airplanes was set up in one of the sports facilities at a university in Kharkov. Nearby, a design bureau where people crafted these winged machines without any blueprints or complex calculations, simply working on their knees. Pilot Anatoly Kosolapov is betting on the most unusual aircraft in his collection; he believes its flight path will captivate the judges. Anatoly Kosolapov, pilot: “No, I’m not a future aviator—I’m just an enthusiast. I built this plane with different wings and cut off its nose so that it wouldn’t fly in a straight line but would make as many zigzags and loops as possible.” Sergey Lavrik is part of the judging panel. Despite having injured his hand, he skillfully builds paper airplane models—after all, he has a background in aviation, worked at a factory, and even participated in the development of the AN-140 aircraft. The term “aerobatics” doesn’t pose any challenge to him. Sergey Lavrik, judge: “Well, that’s absolutely beautiful flying. I used to build model airplanes when I was younger, but I can’t claim any major achievements. I started with paper airplanes as a child; my first one was made by my father.” The plane flown by pilot Denis Kifor covered a distance of 24 meters and 70 centimeters. He came to the competition to support a friend and unexpectedly became the champion in the long-distance flight category. Maybe he’ll be lucky again—in March, he will travel to Austria where the best paper airplane pilots from around the world will compete.