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It is likely that the inspiration for this competition was 'The Executive Manual on the Construction of Paper Projectiles' by Rik Olson, which was published in the previous year.

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December 1966

An article in 'The New York Times' of 9th December 1966 stated that the initial adverts for The 1st International Airplane Competition were to be placed in 'The New York Times', 'The New Yorker', and 'Travel Weekly'.

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An advert announcing the competition was printed in 'The New York Times' on 12th December 1966. Entries were to be submitted by post. Those entries found to fly particularly well in trials were sent forward to the Final Fly-offs held at the New York Hall of Science on 21 Feb 1967. There were four categories of competition, for duration aloft, distance flown, aerobatics and origami. cEach category was subdivided into entries submitted by air travel professionals (including subscribers to 'Scientific American') and non-professionals. The winners were to be awarded a trophy known as 'The Leonardo'.

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In an interview of Gerard Piel, Publisher of Scientific American, published in 'The New York Times' of 13th December 1966, he states that it will be within the rules to weight the nose of an entry with a paperclip.

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January 1967

An advert in 'The New York Times' of 10th January 1967 stated that the deadline for entries had been extended to 14th February 1967 and announced the panel of eight judges. Note that judge Bunji Tagawa is said to be an 'Instructor in Origami'. The advert also states that those entries still in the running after the first stage of judging will be tested for aerodynamic qualities in the Princeton Wind Tunnel (although entries in the Origami sections will be spared this test).

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An article about advertising in 'The New York Times' of 10th January 1967 states that American Airlines are providing entry forms in seat pockets and collection points at ticket counters.

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An article in 'The New York Times' of 22nd January 1967 reported on the contest and named the winners.

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February 1967

The final fly-offs were held at the New York Hall of Science on 21st February 1967.

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March 1967

An advert in 'The New York Times of 23rd March 1967' announced the names of the winners.

The winner of the Origami-Non-professional category was James M Sakoda's 'SST', which was subsequently published in his book 'Modern Origami' in 1969.

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Subsequently

Details of the winning entries were subsequently included in 'The Great International Airplane Book' by Jerry Mander, George Dippel and Howard Gossage which was published by Simon and Schuster in New York in 1967.

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