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A glider is a heavier-than-air flying machine built to glide without self-sustaining power. So, a paper airplane is one form of a glider! Gliders do not have engines. Though gliders are not used as common forms of transportation they have been used for researching. In fact, the Wright brothers, who invented the first airplane, often used gliders to study lift and the other forces of flight. Paper airplanes are still used today to show how weight and lift effect an airplane.