It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s just some guy with old helicopter propellers strapped to his arms with bungee cords and duct tape. Since the tournament’s inception in 1991, the Red Bull Flugtag (“flying day”) has been hosted only once before by the Lone Star State, in Austin in 2003. And this will be the first North American Flugtag held at night, with the first flight launching at 6:30pm over Town Lake. This year’s human-powered flying competition will include 31 teams competing for the grand prize, a pilot training course.
The human-powered flying crafts may look complicated, but the rules are simple: 1) crafts must be human-powered; 2) measure less than 30-feet wide; and 3) weigh less than 450 pounds, including pilot. Sure, distance matters, but so does style. Teams will not only be judged on how far their craft flies but also on performance. The more outrageous and entertaining, the better. They don’t say “Keep Austin Weird” for nothing.
It’s too late to participate in Red Bull Flugtag Texas ’07, but it’s never too late to prepare for the next one. Go to www.redbullflugtagusa.com and build your own flying contraption with the Red Bull Flight Simulator.
This year’s festivities will be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Auditorium Shores, gates at 5pm. Last flight launches at 9:15pm.
This article appears in August 10 • 2007.