Red Bull Flugtag (, 'airshow' ) is an event organized by Red Bull in which competitors attempt to fly home-made, human-powered flying machines, size-limited to around and weight-limited to approximately . The flying machines are usually launched off a pier about high into the sea or other body of water. Most competitors enter for the entertainment value, and the flying machines rarely fly at all.
Background The format was originally invented in Selsey, a small seaside town in the south of England under the name "Birdman Rally" in 1971.First known Flugtag format event The first Red Bull Flugtag competition was held in 1992 in Vienna, Austria. It was such a success that it has been held every year since and in over 35 cities all over the world.
Anyone is eligible to compete in the Flugtag event. To participate, each team must submit an application and their contraption must meet the criteria set forth by Red Bull. The criteria vary with location. In the United States each flying machine must have a maximum wingspan of and a maximum weight (including pilot) of . In Australian Flugtags the wingspan is limited to and the weight (not including pilot) to . The craft must be powered by muscle, gravity, and imagination. Because the aircraft will ultimately end up in the water, it must be unsinkable and constructed entirely of environmentally friendly materials. The aircraft may not have any loose parts and advertising space is limited to .
World records
Distance
The record for the longest flight is 258 feet (78.6 m), set on September 21, 2013, at the Flugtag in Long Beach, California, by "The Chicken Whisperers" team in front of a crowd of 110,000.
Attendance
The largest crowd was in Cape Town, South Africa with 220,000 attending in 2012.
Results
Teams that enter the competition are judged according to three criteria: distance, creativity, and showmanship.
International
+CountryCityYearDateOverall winnerWinning DistanceDescriptionSouth AfricaJohannesburg2000New ZealandAuckland2002Greatest American Hero22 mThe winner was a Carbon fibre and mylar glider, pilot lying prone.CroatiaDubrovnik2002Stonebird17.5 mCatapulted pilotHungarySukoro2002Yunyai45.3 mhuman-powered aircraftBelgiumAntwerp2003IsraelTel Aviv2003The Dragon from The Yarkon10.5 mFlying dragonUnited KingdomLondon2003August 3GermanyHamburg2004New ZealandWellington2004March 14Klinging On23.5 mStarship EnterpriseUnited Arab EmiratesDubai2005Cre8tive 126 mPolystyrene and aluminumSlovakiaBratislava2005June 26Red Arrows Brno32 mWooden frame, Polystyrene profiles, paper, all-moving aileronsCzech RepublicPrague2006June 25Easy Money 330 mWooden frame, Styrofoam and Fiberglass with all-moving tailplaneCanadaVancouver, British Columbia2006The Big Shooter26 mKevlar, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber and mylar.NetherlandsRotterdam2006Aquaphobia30 mAluminum sheets and wrapping plastic.BrazilSão Paulo2006September 17KuwaitKuwait2007November 2The Flying Stars12 mUnited Arab EmiratesDubai2007November 23Snoopy vs. the Red Bull21 mStyrofoam, cardboard and Fiberglass flying wing with canardAustraliaSydney2008April 6Team Mullet18.2 mGiant Flounder on a fishing trawler (overall winners)TurkeyIstanbul2008May 25Flying Turkeys26.9 mPolandPoznań2008June 1United KingdomLondon2008June 7RussiaMoscow2009August 9BrazilSão Paulo2009August 15ColombiaBogotá2008September 14Piragua del Aire8 mFranceMarseille2009September 27Savonus vs Virus23.0 mHousehold soap ("Savon de Marseille" in French) on a huge facecloth.UkraineKyiv2010June 19Kuz'kina Mat'12.0 mThe biplane with a cob of corn instead of the fuselage.Hong KongHong Kong2010October 10KuwaitKuwait2010November 5Dragonfly team11 m (Divas team)Wood & PolystyreneIrelandDublin2011May 22IsraelTel Aviv2011June 3Arigami21.0 mPolystyrene and aluminum.Trinidad and TobagoPort of Spain2011July 3RussiaMoscow2011August 7South AfricaCape Town2012AustriaVienna2012GermanyMainz2012May 28Don Canallie und seine tollkühnen Schurken69,79 m (europe record)Wooden Hang GliderKuwaitKuwait2012October 19Dragonfly team18 mAluminum and PolystyreneSingaporeSentosa2012October 28Saudi ArabiaJeddah2012December 13TeamSaher25 mFoam, Wood and AluminumTurkeyIstanbul2013May 26Angara BördsUkraineKyiv2013June 2SerbiaBelgrade2013June 22Flyin’ figuar19.59 mAluminium, Polyethylene, PVCSwedenStockholm2013June 30RussiaMoscow2013July 28ChileValparaíso2014February 8Hong KongHong Kong2014May 11PortugalCascais2014September 6RussiaMoscow2015July 26IndiaBangalore2015September 28SwedenGothenburg2015August 22NorwayOslo2015August 23United Arab EmiratesDubai2015November 27ItalyMilan2016June 19PeruLima2016June 25BulgariaVarna2016July 2SwitzerlandZürich2016July 16Hong KongHong Kong2016November 27RussiaMoscow2017August 13IrelandDublin2018May 20GermanyBremen2018July 1AustraliaSydney2018November 18Chip off the Old Block22 mSerbiaBelgrade2019June 30RussiaMoscow2019July 28Time FliesRunners up: Nine Eggs, Universal TwineIstanbulTurkey2019August 4Coffee Lovers (La Marzocco Turkey)Runners up: Mother Force, Vecihi TeamRussiaMoscow2021SwitzerlandLausanne2021September 19AustriaVienna2021September 26Die Flügelmütter (member: Ribens, Tschesn King, Banbana, Dax)12 mRed Puch Maxi scale 3:1 with white paper angel wings. Material wood, cartonTurkeyIstanbul2022August 14Red Kids On The SkyRunners up: Suuuus'hi Team, Air KissTaiwanTaichung2022September 18老闆，一個控肉刈包不加香菜不加肥肉 (member: 楊鎮濂, 徐寳璇, 黃俊穎, 蘇俊睿, 張東琳)32.75 mCanadaToronto2022September 24Snappea DesignRunners up: DC3, THE MO SHOWNew ZealandAuckland2022December 10Red Barren and Snoopy (formerly Greatest American Hero)47 mRunners up: The Mighty Schizenhawken, Disco FarSpainValencia2024June 2Hillside Hustlers 26.7 mUnited StatesCincinnati2025August 9Chapter31.9 mRunners up: La Barbacoa Voladora (13.7 m), Snowparty (18.6 m) Sustainability Award: Crazy Goat Garage
United States
Austin, Texas, Saturday, April 26, 2003 First Place: Pop and Fizz – 70 ft (21.3 m) Second Place: Team Acme Third Place: Winged Jalapeños Most Creative: El Sombrerians Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, August 9, 2003 First Place: Sync, Swim or Fly – 51 ft (15.5 m) Second Place: Jake and Elwood Third Place: The Kicken' Chicken Most Creative: Candy Flyer Los Angeles, California, Saturday, September 20, 2003 First Place: When Pigs Fly – 66 ft (20.1 m) Second Place: West Coast Flying Machines Third Place: The Marine Team Most Creative: Red Bull Slugger New York, New York, Sunday, October 5, 2003 First Place: Pedal Power – 39 ft (11.9 m) Second Place: Mighty Whirl Third Place: Bammr's Ballistic Bedrock Most Creative: Urban Rodeo San Francisco, California, Saturday, October 25, 2003 First Place: El Toro Guapo – 61 ft (18.6 m) Second Place: Project S.T.O.L. Third Place: Running of the Red Bulls Most Creative: Snoop's Dogg House Miami, Florida, Saturday, April 24, 2004 First Place: The Resurrector – 33 ft (10.1 m) Second Place: Three Finger Salute Third Place: Believe It or Not (It's Just Me) Most Creative: Joy of Birth Portland, Oregon, Saturday, July 31, 2004 First Place: 2004 X-Wing Glider – 39 ft (11.9 m) Second Place: Flying Wonka Bar Third Place: Oregon Santa Sleigh Most Creative: Hair Force One Cleveland, Ohio, Saturday, July 31, 2004 First Place: Rover's Flying Glory – 63 ft (19.2 m) Second Place: Aerobus Third Place: The Stork Most Creative: Flying Musical Sensation Tempe, Arizona, Saturday, April 29, 2006 First Place: The Need for Speed – 26 ft (7.9 m) Second Place: Air Farce One Third Place: El Vuelo Del Lobo Most Creative: Dipsomaniacal Devil People's Choice: El Vuelo Del Lobo Farthest Flight: El Vuelo Del Lobo Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, October 21, 2006 First Place: Victim's of Soi-cumstance – 81 ft (24.7 m) Second Place: Jump the Shark Third Place: F-10-75 People's Choice: 4-4-0 American Flyer Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, June 23, 2007 First Place: Rocky Top Rocket – 155 ft (47.2 m) Second Place: No. 1 Lucky Flyer Third Place: Yellow Submarine People's Choice: Galapagos Flight Club Farthest Flight: Rocky Top Rocket Austin, Texas, Saturday, August 25, 2007 First Place: Skate and Destroy Second Place: Superman's "Crip"tonite Third Place: Billy Ocean's Flying Fish Taco People's Choice: Congress Bridge Bats Tampa Bay, Florida, Saturday, July 19, 2008 First Place: Team Tampa Baywatch – 109 ft (33.2 m) Second Place: Air Gilligan – 32 ft (9.8 m) Third Place: The Little Engine That Could – 21 ft (6.4 m) People's Choice: Tampa Bay Derby Darlins Portland, Oregon, Saturday, August 2, 2008 First Place: Team Yakima Big Wheel – 62 ft (18.9 m) Second Place: Greased Lightning – 55 ft (16.8 m) Third Place: Free Ballin' People's Choice: Space Balls Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, September 6, 2008 First Place: The Crustacean Avengers – 120 ft (36.6 m) Second Place: New Style Flyers – 75 ft (22.9 m) Third Place: Pie in the Sky! – 90 ft (27.4 m) People's Choice: The USHE Miami, Florida, Saturday, July 10, 2010 First Place: Team Formula Flug – 53 ft (16.2 m) Second Place: Ibis Engineers Third Place: One Giant Leap People's Choice: Team TransPlace Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saturday, July 24, 2010 First Place: Team Major Trouble and the Dirty Dixies from Inver Grove Heights – 207 ft (63.1 m) People's Choice: Team FORE Play from West Des Moines, IA Long Beach, California, Saturday, August 21, 2010 First Place: Team Peepin' It Real – 98 ft (29.9 m) Second Place: Green Machine Third Place: Airforce 1 People's Choice: Green Army Men Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, September 4, 2010 Tampa, Florida, Saturday, October 8, 2011 First Place: Willy Wonka's Amazing Flying Flugtag Adventure Second Place: Adventure Team Bigstuff Third Place: U.S.A. Team People's Choice: Stumble Force Miami, Florida, Saturday, November 3, 2012 San Francisco, California, Saturday, November 10, 2012 Chicago, Illinois, Saturday, September 21, 2013 Dallas, Texas, Saturday, September 21, 2013 Long Beach, California, Saturday, September 21, 2013 First Place: The Chicken Whisperers – 258 ft (78.6 m) Miami, Florida, Saturday, September 21, 2013 Washington, D.C., Saturday, September 21, 2013 Portland, Oregon, Saturday, August 1, 2015 Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, August 20, 2016 First Place: Flite-Riot Second Place: What Sphinx? (a Secret Boston team) Third Place: Something Wonderful People's Choice: Flite-Riot Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday, August 27, 2016 First Place: MMMad MMMax Second Place: Dukes of Hazzardous by Kre8Now Makerspace – 82 ft (25.0 m) Third Place: Kentucky Power People's Choice: Mercy No Mercy – Mercy Academy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saturday, August 5, 2017 First Place: Flight at the Roxbury – 78 ft (23.8 m) Second Place: Survivor Tractor – 121 ft (36.9 m) Third Place: Left Field Loonies People's Choice: The Flite Testers Nashville, Tennessee, Saturday, September 23, 2017 First Place: Ground Control – 81 ft (24.7 m) Second Place: His Majesties Royal Circus and the Flying Irish Woman Third Place: YMCA People's Choice: Team Smashville St. Paul, Minnesota, Saturday, September 7, 2019 First Place: Spooners' Revenge – 54 ft (16.5 m) Second Place: Ferris Bueler's Takeoff – 63 ft (19.2 m) Third Place: Flying POS 24 Hour Greatness Award: Spooners' Revenge Milwaukee, WI, Saturday, July 16, 2022 First Place: Flight For Your Right to Party – 66 ft (18.9 m) Second Place: Third Place: Bear-Naked Chonkers People's Choice: FLYING SCHMEAT Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, August 12, 2023 Irving, Texas, Saturday, September 13, 2025 First Place: Flambouyancy 2: Flyboyant Second Place: Charcoal Commanders Third Place: 100 Men vs Gorilla
Incidents Serious injuries Bucharest, September 19, 2010: broken back, skull fracture Pittsburgh, August 4, 2017: ruptured spleen, traumatic brain injury Nashville, September 23, 2017: Lumbar vertebrae (L1)
Cancellation/termination by authorities