Paper plane competition glides into Canberra

Planes will compete for titles in three categories: longest flight duration, furthestdistance, and most acrobatic.

The stakes are high. The three overall winners from national qualifying get to travel to Salzburg, Austria, in May for the international final.

That competition sees representatives from 70 different countries compete for the world title.

Interest in paper planes has enjoyed a recent resurgence, buoyed by the release of Aussie film Paper Planes.

That film was loosely based on a 2009 ABC Australian Story feature on Dylan Parker and friend James Norton, who met at a paper plane competition at the University of Canberra.

The pair, who themselves competed in the world championships in Austria, have since established Paper Pilots - an organisation that sees them share their passion at schools, events, and other venues.

Mr Norton is not involved in the current Red Bull competition, but said paper planes provided a simple joy that brought families together in a way becoming increasingly rare.

"Simple things like a paper plane, I suppose they attract that activity in the family, and I think that's really needed these days," he said.

The current Australian records are 43 metres for distance and 8.99 seconds for airtime.

Mr Norton said a good throw required a combination of good technique and the right design.

"That's what's great about planes, you're designing something to perform that magical function of flight, and whether it's distance or time aloft, it's an art form," he said.

"You can get a lot of satisfaction by getting good at something, that's why I think kids can get a lot of confidence through building paper planes.

"They're mastering something and they're getting better and better, they're problem solving."

The Red Bull competition kicks off at 11am in the ADFA indoor sports centre annex. Registration is at 10.30am.