Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum hosted paper airplane contest Saturday

A piece of paper and a little imagination was all you needed to participate in a family friendly competition in Gulfport.

The Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum hosted a one-of-a-kind paper airplane contest over the weekend.

All those years folding the perfect plane in the back of the classroom is now paying off.

The Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum is where origami and aeronautics intersect. Neither kids nor grownups could resist putting their skills to the test – from folding techniques to throwing form.

The contest was an enrichment opportunity for the kids, who learned all about the physics involved in making paper take flight. Arabella Dixon said, “We love any sort of interactive STEM learning event. So, when we saw this, we knew it would be perfect for us.”

Age groups competed in two categories: distance and time aloft. Aircraft with a butterfly shape stayed in the air the longest – and those that went the farthest had a more narrow design.

Although little Oliver Dixon didn’t win the contest, he had fun. That’s what counts. Both of his parents have some connection to aeronautics. “I grew up near the Pensacola area, going to Naval, air and space museums, and so we figured this would be a lot of fun. It has been. It’s been a great time.”

The museum is entering its second year in operation. Its stakeholders hope to expand its exhibits to the second floor as it builds community interest.