Flugtag. It’s German for "Flight Day," English for "The Unlikely Outcome of Offering Amateur Weirdos a Bunch of Money to Design Man-powered Aircraft," and it’s coming to a town near you. Seriously. The wildly frivolous contest, which engenders a carnival-like atmosphere, is just beginning to catch on in the States. Recently it came to Austin, Texas, sponsored by the power drink Red Bull. (Talk about a publicity stunt!) This I had to see.
A bunch of adults get together and build structures that they attempt to "fly" off of a platform into a large, unsuspecting body of water below, and they do this for cash prizes. Kind of like what would happen to a middle school science fair if more money and plenty of alcohol were involved. Or maybe it’s more akin to Junkyard Wars, minus the combat element and adding a 30-foot drop into a lake as the big finale. Anyway, you’re beginning to get the idea.
 One of the official rules of Flugtag is that the craft does not have to fly, so you can see how serious they are about craftsmanship here. The other official rules are slightly more inane: for safety reasons, the craft must be within certain and weight size limits. But rest assured, these little rules don’t prevent entrants from coming up with some pretty crazy stuff. Entries in the Texas Flugtag held last month ranged from a papier-mâché Willie Nelson, to a "weinermissle" accompanied by a ketchup and mustard bottle, to a lawnmower that spewed green confetti grass, to a giant space-age sombrero. One avid Ozzy Osbourne fan even rode a giant 30-foot "Randy Rhodes Flying V" guitar, surfboard style, into the lake — appropriate for a city known for its local music scene, I suppose.
The craft are judged by a panel of "Celebrity Judges." The Austin panel included a guy from "The Sopranos" that nobody seemed to know, and some local musicians that hardly anyone had heard of, but they were the only people at the event who got to sit in the shade, so they were obviously pretty important. Judging is based on three pretty broad criteria: distance, creativity, and showmanship. So, even if you don’t fly, but you do it in a really flashy way, you could still theoretically win.
 First, second, and third prizes are awarded at the end of the day, to much exhausted jubilation. Unfortunately, the Austin heat (even in late April) got to me before the winning entry got to the stage, and I missed witnessing "Pop and Fizz." Still, I had a hell of a time, and even managed to sunburn my SCALP - a first for this little Northern girl.
So far, Flugtag events are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Miami, as well as Austin. My advice: if one comes to your area, DON'T miss it!! |
