Red Bull Flugtag Held at Tampa Convention Center

Red Bull Flugtag is taking place at City Park at the Tampa Convention Center. The Red Bull air races are free to attend for all; gates will open as early as 11:00 AM on 07-19-08 and the first flight is scheduled to take place at 1:00 PM. What sets apart the Red Bull flying contest from other air shows is the fact that all aircrafts are homemade, human-powered, and must endure a jump from a Tampa Bay flight deck that measures roughly 30 feet.

As onlookers stream to the Tampa Convention Center for the Red Bull Flugtag, Tampa flying aces ready their pilot propelled, homemade crafts to demonstrate their aeronautic savvy and score some serious bragging rights about who can soar the farthest. Red Bull has signed up 40 teams of Flugtag winning hopefuls and this was no ordinary feat. Wicked Local reports that over 300 applicants for the Red Bull air races had to be vetted before 40 finalist teams were identified.

Lest you think that Red Bull Flugtag is a local Tampa event only, those coming to enjoy the event which - when translated from German - roughly denotes a "flight day" is so popular that it draws participants from across the United States. As varied as the contestants are the flying contraptions that hope to take off. Judges are known to give points for the distance the flying machine will soar before reconnecting with Mother Earth, the overall originality that went into the design of the human powered aircraft, and the entertainment value of the show put on by each team prior to the flight.

Aerodynamics meet artistic inclination and the crowds at the Tampa Convention Center are treated to some air racers that may not quite overcome Newton's understanding of gravity while others will go down in Red Bull Flugtag history as champions of the air. On a side note, since those holding the Red Bull air races do give points for creativity, part of the fun is seeing how the teams seek to outdo one another when it comes to creating some extreme costumes and stage plays.