- Source: Red Bull Flugtag
Red Bull Flugtag (German pronunciation: [ˈfluːkˌtaːk], 'airshow' lit. 'flight day') is an event organized by Red Bull in which competitors attempt to fly home-made, human-powered flying machines, size-limited to around 10 metres (33 ft) and weight-limited to approximately 150 kilograms (330 lb). The flying machines are usually launched off a pier about 9 metres (30 ft) high into the sea or body of water. Most competitors enter for the entertainment value, and the flying machines rarely fly at all.
Background
The format was originally invented in Selsey, a small seaside town in the south of England under the name "Birdman Rally" in 1971. The first Red Bull Flugtag competition was held in 1992 in Vienna, Austria. It was such a success that it has been held every year since and in over 35 cities all over the world.
Anyone is eligible to compete in the Flugtag event. To participate, each team must submit an application and their contraption must meet the criteria set forth by Red Bull. The criteria vary with location. In the United States each flying machine must have a maximum wingspan of 30 feet (9.1 m) and a maximum weight (including pilot) of 450 pounds (200 kg). In Australian Flugtags the wingspan is limited to 8 metres (26 ft) and the weight (not including pilot) to 180 kilograms (400 lb). The craft must be powered by muscle, gravity, and imagination. Because the aircraft will ultimately end up in the water, it must be unsinkable and constructed entirely of environmentally friendly materials. The aircraft may not have any loose parts and advertising space is limited to 1-square-foot (930 cm2).
World records
= Distance
=The record for the longest flight is 258 feet (78.6 m), set on September 21, 2013, at the Flugtag in Long Beach, California, by "The Chicken Whisperers" team in front of a crowd of 110,000.
= Attendance
=The largest crowd was in Cape Town, South Africa with 220,000 attending in 2012.
Results
Teams that enter the competition are judged according to three criteria: distance, creativity, and showmanship.
= International
== United States
=Austin, Texas, Saturday, April 26, 2003
First Place: Pop and Fizz – 70 ft (21.3 m)
Second Place: Team Acme
Third Place: Winged Jalapeños
Most Creative: El Sombrerians
Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, August 9, 2003
First Place: Sync, Swim or Fly – 51 ft (15.5 m)
Second Place: Jake and Elwood
Third Place: The Kicken' Chicken
Most Creative: Candy Flyer
Los Angeles, California, Saturday, September 20, 2003
First Place: When Pigs Fly – 66 ft (20.1 m)
Second Place: West Coast Flying Machines
Third Place: The Marine Team
Most Creative: Red Bull Slugger
New York, New York, Sunday, October 5, 2003
First Place: Pedal Power – 39 ft (11.9 m)
Second Place: Mighty Whirl
Third Place: Bammr's Ballistic Bedrock
Most Creative: Urban Rodeo
San Francisco, California, Saturday, October 25, 2003
First Place: El Toro Guapo – 61 ft (18.6 m)
Second Place: Project S.T.O.L.
Third Place: Running of the Red Bulls
Most Creative: Snoop's Dogg House
Miami, Florida, Saturday, April 24, 2004
First Place: The Resurrector – 33 ft (10.1 m)
Second Place: Three Finger Salute
Third Place: Believe It or Not (It's Just Me)
Most Creative: Joy of Birth
Portland, Oregon, Saturday, July 31, 2004
First Place: 2004 X-Wing Glider – 39 ft (11.9 m)
Second Place: Flying Wonka Bar
Third Place: Oregon Santa Sleigh
Most Creative: Hair Force One
Cleveland, Ohio, Saturday, July 31, 2004
First Place: Rover's Flying Glory – 63 ft (19.2 m)
Second Place: Aerobus
Third Place: The Stork
Most Creative: Flying Musical Sensation
Tempe, Arizona, Saturday, April 29, 2006
First Place: The Need for Speed – 26 ft (7.9 m)
Second Place: Air Farce One
Third Place: El Vuelo Del Lobo
Most Creative: Dipsomaniacal Devil
People's Choice: El Vuelo Del Lobo
Farthest Flight: El Vuelo Del Lobo
Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, October 21, 2006
First Place: Victim's of Soi-cumstance – 81 ft (24.7 m)
Second Place: Jump the Shark
Third Place: F-10-75
People's Choice: 4-4-0 American Flyer
Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, June 23, 2007
First Place: Rocky Top Rocket – 155 ft (47.2 m)
Second Place: No. 1 Lucky Flyer
Third Place: Yellow Submarine
People's Choice: Galapagos Flight Club
Farthest Flight: Rocky Top Rocket
Austin, Texas, Saturday, August 25, 2007
First Place: Skate and Destroy
Second Place: Superman's "Crip"tonite
Third Place: Billy Ocean's Flying Fish Taco
People's Choice: Congress Bridge Bats
Tampa Bay, Florida, Saturday, July 19, 2008
First Place: Team Tampa Baywatch – 109 ft (33.2 m)
Second Place: Air Gilligan – 32 ft (9.8 m)
Third Place: The Little Engine That Could – 21 ft (6.4 m)
People's Choice: Tampa Bay Derby Darlins
Portland, Oregon, Saturday, August 2, 2008
First Place: Team Yakima Big Wheel – 62 ft (18.9 m)
Second Place: Greased Lightning – 55 ft (16.8 m)
Third Place: Free Ballin'
People's Choice: Space Balls
Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, September 6, 2008
First Place: The Crustacean Avengers – 120 ft (36.6 m)
Second Place: New Style Flyers – 75 ft (22.9 m)
Third Place: Pie in the Sky! – 90 ft (27.4 m)
People's Choice: The USHE
Miami, Florida, Saturday, July 10, 2010
First Place: Team Formula Flug – 53 ft (16.2 m)
Second Place: Ibis Engineers
Third Place: One Giant Leap
People's Choice: Team TransPlace
Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saturday, July 24, 2010
First Place: Team Major Trouble and the Dirty Dixies from Inver Grove Heights – 207 ft (63.1 m)
People's Choice: Team FORE Play from West Des Moines, IA
Long Beach, California, Saturday, August 21, 2010
First Place: Team Peepin' It Real – 98 ft (29.9 m)
Second Place: Green Machine
Third Place: Airforce 1
People's Choice: Green Army Men
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, September 4, 2010
Tampa, Florida, Saturday, October 8, 2011
First Place: Willy Wonka's Amazing Flying Flugtag Adventure
Second Place: Adventure Team Bigstuff
Third Place: U.S.A. Team
People's Choice: Stumble Force
Miami, Florida, Saturday, November 3, 2012
San Francisco, California, Saturday, November 10, 2012
Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, September 21, 2013
Dallas, Texas, Saturday, September 21, 2013
Long Beach, California, Saturday, September 21, 2013
First Place: The Chicken Whisperers – 258 ft (78.6 m)
Miami, Florida, Saturday, September 21, 2013
Washington, D.C., Saturday, September 21, 2013
Portland, Oregon, Saturday, August 1, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, August 20, 2016
First Place: Flite-Riot
Second Place: What Sphinx? (a Secret Boston team)
Third Place: Something Wonderful
People's Choice: Flite-Riot
Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday, August 27, 2016
First Place: MMMad MMMax
Second Place: Dukes of Hazzardous by Kre8Now Makerspace – 82 ft (25.0 m)
Third Place: Kentucky Power
People's Choice: Mercy No Mercy – Mercy Academy
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saturday, August 5, 2017
First Place: Flight at the Roxbury – 78 ft (23.8 m)
Second Place: Survivor Tractor – 121 ft (36.9 m)
Third Place: Left Field Loonies
People's Choice: The Flite Testers
Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, September 23, 2017
First Place: Ground Control – 81 ft (24.7 m)
Second Place: His Majesties Royal Circus and the Flying Irish Woman
Third Place: YMCA
People's Choice: Team Smashville
St. Paul, Minnesota, Saturday, September 7, 2019
First Place: Spooners' Revenge – 54 ft (16.5 m)
Second Place: Ferris Bueler's Takeoff – 63 ft (19.2 m)
Third Place: Flying POS
24 Hour Greatness Award: Spooners' Revenge
Milwaukee, WI, Saturday, July 16, 2022
First Place: Flight For Your Right to Party – 66 ft (18.9 m)
Second Place:
Third Place: Bear-Naked Chonkers
People's Choice: FLYING SCHMEAT
Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, August 12, 2023
Incidents
= Serious injuries
=Bucharest, September 19, 2010: broken back, skull fracture
Pittsburgh, August 4, 2017: ruptured spleen, traumatic brain injury
Nashville, September 23, 2017: Lumbar vertebrae (L1)
= Cancellation/termination by authorities
=The Portland, Oregon, competition, held on August 1, 2015, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, wherein craft were launched into the Willamette River, was ended early by the United States Coast Guard after an excessive number of spectator boats (over 500) filled the river, making it impassable to commercial traffic. One collision was reported between a spectator boat and a commercial vessel, though damage was minimal and no injuries occurred.
In video games
The Red Bull Flugtag is featured as a playable mini-game in a special "Red Bull space", called the Red Bull Beach, in PlayStation Home released on November 26, 2009.
See also
International Birdman
Notes
References
"The History of Flugtag." 1st Red Bull Flugtag Sydney. Red Bull. 14 Apr. 2008: [1].
"Events." Red Bull Flugtag USA. Red Bull. 2 Aug. 2008: [2].
"What is Flugtag?" Red Bull Flugtag USA. Red Bull. 2 Aug. 2008: [3].
External links
Roundhay Park Leeds UK
LONDON PIXELS London Flugtag 2008 Photo set Archived 2012-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
www.redbullflugtag.hk
http://redbullflugtag.se
http://www.redbull.com/flightlab
https://web.archive.org/web/20080922004420/http://www.redbullflugtag.at/
http://www.redbullflugtag.com.au
http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20030809102902/http://www.redbullflugtag.co.uk/
http://www.redbullflugtag.ae
http://www.redbullflugtag.com.br
[4]
http://www.airplix.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20110714170032/http://www.netnewspublisher.com/more-than-80000-turn-up-for-the-red-bull-flugtag-in-portland-oregon/
https://web.archive.org/web/20090930183313/http://www.redbullflugtag.fr/
https://web.archive.org/web/20100722033255/http://www.redbullflugtag.ro/
https://web.archive.org/web/20110610220355/http://www.redbull.co.il/cs/Satellite/he_IL/Red-Bull-Flugtag/001242937177311
https://tnflugtag.com