Flugtag is German, meaning “flying day.” Red Bull sponsors several Flugtag competition events worldwide as part of their yearly promotional events. Most recently, the final event for 2024 event was in Tampa, Florida. The object of the Red Bull DIY flight competition is to build a human-powered aircraft. Planes launch from a deck and (sometimes) continue flying over water.
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The Red Bull Flugtag competitions began in 1992. Teams of five members design and construct homemade flying machines. The goal is to create a flying machine that can launch under human power and fly as far as possible while landing “gracefully” on the water. The graceful thing? That rarely happens.
The Red Bull competition attracts 30 to 40 teams who attempt to make the flight every year. The events draw millions of spectators who come for the comedy and the wild imaginations of the adventurous crews. Teams can have sponsors, but they must have approval from Red Bull six weeks or more before the event.
The rules are relatively straightforward. The five-member teams consist of one pilot and four people on the ground crew. The DIY aircraft must have a craft body not longer than ten feet or taller than eight feet. The wingspan cannot exceed 22 feet. The pilot and craft combined cannot weigh more than 400 pounds. Red Bull recommends using environmentally friendly and non-toxic materials when building crafts.
The method of propulsion for each craft must be only humans. Team members can push from behind, use bicycles, or other methods, but no catapults. The aircraft launch from a 22-foot high ramp during the Red Bull competition. The craft staying aloft the furthest before crashing into landing gracefully upon the water wins the Flugtag.
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