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The Red Bull what? Everything you need to know about the Flugtag

Saturday, August 9, 2008 11:08 PM CDT

Where and when is the event taking place?

Red Bull Flugtag will take flight at North Avenue Beach on Saturday, September 6. Gates open to the public at 11 a.m. First flight departs at 1 p.m.

What does Flugtag mean?

Flugtag, which is pronounced FLOOG-TOG, means "flying day" in the German language.

What exactly is a Red Bull Flugtag?

At Red Bull Flugtag, teams of up to five people work together building homemade, human-powered flying crafts which one person pilots off of an elevated flight deck, through the air, and into a body of water. Participants spend about two months designing and building their flying machines and are judged on three criteria -distance, creativity and showmanship.

What do the planes typically look like?

How much imagination do you have? Red Bull Flugtag flying machines range from realistic plane replicas to anything the imagination can conjure up. Past crafts include a Flying Purple People Eater, Santa and his sleigh, a flying toilet and even an Oscar Meyer Weiner. To gain showmanship points, participants often wear outrageous costumes, act out skits, and create their own music soundtracks for the flight.

What are the rules?

All crafts must be human-powered no engines or external energy sources allowed. Prefabricated crafts will not be accepted. Each craft must be less than 30-feet wide and not more than 450 lbs. (including the pilot), and craft pilots must be at least 18 years old.

How many Red Bull Flugtags have been produced?

Red Bull has produced more than 35 Flugtags around the world -from Rome to Los Angeles. The first Flugtag took place in 1991 in Vienna, Austria, as the brainchild of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

When was the first Red Bull Flugtag produced in America?

The first U.S. Red Bull Flugtag was produced in October 2002 in San Francisco.

What is the farthest flight in the history Of Red Bull Flugtag?

The farthest flight to date took place in Europe and was an astounding 195 feet! The U.S. record of 155 feet is held by team Rocky Top Rocket who flew in Red Bull Flugtag Nashville in 2007.

Where was the largest crowd?

London holds the record with over 250,000 spectators at the 2003 event, during which Hyde Park was closed due to capacity (which has only happened once during a free Rolling Stones concert). Red Bull Flugtags in the U.S. have drawn crowds ranging from 35,000 to 80,000.

What do the winners get?

The grand prize is an all-expense paid trip to a Red Bull Air Race World Series U.S. stop, second prize is skydiving trip with Red Bull Air Force and third prize is a Red Bull Flugtag hometown viewing party. A prize is also awarded for People's Choice.

-Red Bull Flugtag