Throw me!

We have all seen the amazing javelin throwers at the Olympics. They throw the javelin so far that they have to redesign it every other year to keep it inside the stadium. But what object has the record for being thrown the furthest by a human without any artificial help, is it the javelin?

It's a Frisbee. The record today is a quarter of a mile. The object was a specially designed Frisbee in the form of a ring, the Aerobie Pro ring. But how does a Frisbee work, what makes it fly?

A Frisbee is a cross between a wing and a gyroscope. Giving the Frisbee speed, it cuts through the air like a wing, and giving it spin it gets stability. Without spin the disc would turn over and fall to the ground. How much the disc spins and the particular design can give the disc very different flying characteristics termed 'understable' and 'overstable'. Understable discs need a lot of spin while overstable needs less.

I heartly recommend the sport of discgolf where you can play with the physics of flying and get a moderate exercise at the same time.