Flying for flugtag

They say that “Red Bull gives you wings,” and that’s just what the company did on July 24 in Minnesota. They sponsored an event that gave people the chance to fly. The event is known as flugtag, which means “flying day” in German.

According to the Red Bull Flugtag USA website, the event challenges “everyday people to build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight!”

To accomplish this, participants needed to design their flying machines very carefully, keeping the principles of engineering in mind. When people hang on to their human-powered flying devices, they want a smooth flight that eventually lands them gracefully into the water below. If they don’t know their craft, they might as well just be jumping of a 30-foot deck for the sake of freefall. Not surprisingly, many of the teams were comprised of engineering students who are experienced in designing and testing out various devices.

But while a solid knowledge of engineering is vital for success in the competition, creativity also counts. Though the purpose of the contest is to have the machines glide through the air as far as possible, even those that plummet into the water right away have a shot at winning the People’s Choice Award.

Minnesota’s first place winning team was called “Major Trouble and the Dirty Dixies.” Not only did they beat out their competition, but they broke a record that had stood for more than 10 years. Flying 207 feet, the other teams didn’t stand a chance.

The Minnesota flugtag event took place after Florida’s competition. Next on the Red Bull flugtag tour are California and Pennsylvania. So, if you’ve ever found yourself wishing that Red Bull really could give you wings, take this opportunity to fly now!