Paul K. Guillow, Inc.

Born in 1893, Paul Guillow was a naval aviator during World War I, and returned from Europe with an interest in aviation related toys. He later went on to graduate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Guillow died in 1951. == Company history ==

Among the company's earliest products were a card game called The Lindy Flying Game, which was introduced in 1927, and a board game called Crash: The New Airplane Game which was introduced in 1928. Guillow died in 1951. His wife Gertrude expanded and modernized the company, until she retired in 1980. In 1953, the company introduced a line of mass produced, simple, inexpensive balsa gliders, packaged by high speed machinery. They sold well. In the 1990s, Guillow's acquired competitors including Tiger, Inc. of Los Angeles and Comet of Chicago. Tiger specialized in "promotional flying toys imprinted with company names and graphics" and Comet was a "direct competitor in balsa kits and gliders". In recent years, the company has converted to laser cutting of balsa parts, resulting in increased accuracy, making assembly easier. In 2011, sales were estimated at to $6-million per year. == Use in research ==

Toy balsa gliders are often used in physics classes to teach aerodynamics including Bernoulli's theorem. In 1999, an article about their characteristics was published in the American Journal of Physics. The article presented a "quantitative analysis" of the performance of the Guillow Super-Ace, which weighed 3.51 grams and sold for $1.99 at that time. == Product line ==

The company's product line includes dozens of inexpensive slide-together balsa gliders and rubber band-powered airplanes, and dozens of more complex stick-and-tissue scale model airplanes. Product offerings include highly detailed and complex models, including the 1903 Wright Flyer with a 20-inch wingspan, the company's largest model. ==References==