The Ultimate Paper Airplane

[Luca Voice Over] I like to joke with people that I

have made a paper airplane.

[Narrator] When you think of a paper airplane,

you probably think of something like this.

But for one designer, a paper airplane is

something completely different and a lot more detailed.

And of course people, I'm sure, think I'm totally crazy

and then when I actually show them photos,

they often are pretty shocked and they probably

think I'm crazy in a different way,

which, you know, might be valid.

[Narrator] For nearly a decade, on and off again,

Luca Iaconi-Stewart has been painstakingly

designing and building this 1/60th scale model

of a Bowing triple seven.

It's a project that's really hard to explain in words,

so I often avoid doing that and I just kind of

skip to pictures because that's really the only way

you can convey the sense of detail and just the

kind of, insanity of it all.

It even blows my own mind.

I don't really know how I've done a lot of it.

[Narrator] This is no off the shelf model.

He uses a bare minimum of tools and materials.

It's you know, manilla folder, glue, Exacto blades,

straight edges, it's a pretty simple set of materials

that I use and it's all about using those to

make all different kinds of things.

And that's kind of the challenge and the fun in it.

I have cut myself doing this project,

definitely sliced the very tip of my finger off,

just the skin.

[Narrator] It all began as a school assignment.

It started on a much smaller scale

in terms of the detail.

There are still parts of it that are original,

but I increased the complexity over time.

I just found my skills increasing,

and so I wanted to add more detail.

And I've torn it apart many times to add more stuff

or to make it more accurate.

[Narrator] So detailed, that there are tiny lamps

made of strands of paper above the first class seats

and moving wing flaps, engine parts,

and landing gear that actually retracts.

I created both sides here and and I mounted them

in this little test jig that replicates the main

structural elements that they're connected to.

So this would be, like the cabin floor would

be this way and then the wings would be,

kind of this way.

I have all the steering function,

so I was actually kind of shocked that

it all worked out, given how small the scale is.

Yeah, this is completely made out of paper.

The tires are completely solid core inside

so they can actually support a fair amount of weight.

This is the nose landing gear which is a lot

less complex, but even at the time,

that was another piece that was kind of like,

wow, I can't believe this has worked out as well.

So it just kind of retracts like that.

It's a pretty simple concept,

but getting it to work in paper can be a challenge.

There are two types of manilla folder I use.

There's a thinner kind that's like the

regular folder you might, you know,

encounter in the wild and then there is a thicker kind

that's more of a divider and I'll use those for

structural elements like in the wings that need to be

much more kind of, load bearing.

[Narrator] Making these parts can take weeks,

or even months.

Luca designs the pieces, prints them,

cuts them out by hand and then painstakingly

glues them together.

There is a fair amount of concentration

that I have to have when I'm putting this stuff together,

but once I kind of get the hang of it,

I know what I'm doing.

This is very much a unique project in that

I've had to research everything and draw up

my own plans and that's what I think a lot

of people don't realize.

They think I'm either working off a kit,

which is understandable, but that's really not the case

and I've had to come up with all of my own plans.

And obviously, even if you had a kit,

it wouldn't really translate or lend itself to

this type of material.

You know, I have to translate what they make

into something that I can build and that will work in paper.

There's a huge difference in how something will look

the same on my model, but the way it actually works

is completely different because I'm taking into

account how paper responds.

[Narrator] Not having plans means that sometimes

hundreds of hours of work end up scrapped.

So this I like to jokingly call the plane crash

because you know, it's like-- (laughing)

So these are all sections that I've kind of

ripped out over the years.

You can see this is the cabin side wall.

It kind of looks like, again,

like what you might see in a plane crash,

just totally shredded parts of the fuselage.

[Narrator] So, why would anyone spend this kind

of time on a project like this?

I've mainly done this project because I really enjoy

the sense of calm and meditation that it brings

when I really get into the building process.

The most satisfying thing is to look at pictures

and know the actual plan and transform that

into your own plans and see it actually

come together in paper.

That's probably the most rewarding feeling

and it's kind of exhilarating when you get to the end

and you really see a component coming to life.

It's a really exciting sense of achievement.

And so that's kind of what keeps me going.

Sections of the cabin actually open up

to reveal the interior, so that's first and

business class, and then this is business and economy.

I haven't be able to fully replicate all of the

detail, or rather, I haven't wanted to.

The overhead bins don't open.

The seats don't actually recline.

I think people often think they do,

but they don't unfortunately.

[Narrator] Thanks to some press and Luca's

popular YouTube channel, the plane model has taken him

to some unexpected places,

even to the actual Bowing assembly line.

And so I actually got to see their whole

production facility and actually got really

up close to these planes and that was an amazing experience.

Their assembly line is really a feat of

engineering, obviously, and the sense of scale

is just other worldly.

[Narrator] And it's landed him paying work,

making this advertisement.

About two years ago, I was contacted by Singapore

Airlines and I was lucky enough to work on a

project with an ad campaign for social media

and so I actually got to build this plane behind me,

the 8380 that's their flagship.

[Narrator] And after thousands of hours of

toiling over the paper version,

a few years ago, he finally flew on the jet

his model replicates, a Bowing triple seven 300ER.

I really was glad that I was finally able to

and it was kind of unfortunate that it took me

so long, but it was cool just to see the actual thing.

[Narrator] All that time looking out the window

got him ready for the last challenge.

So yes, the plane does not yet have wings.

I'm kind of in the midst of designing them

and I've broken them down into sections

and I've been slowly creating each different

subsystem if you will.

But yeah, it's a notable omission thus far,

and that's kind of the last--

It's like the last thing I have to do

which is in fact, a multi-year ordeal.

I'm not sure why I'm so interested in airplanes.

When I was little, it was trains.

I think it's hard not to be amazed by

the fact that these huge pieces of metal and

now plastic can take off into the air and that they're

so advanced and complex.

It's a testament to human ingenuity.