For the first time, Kyiv will host “Red Bull Flugtag,” a competition among homemade human-powered flying machines, owned and operated by the Red Bull soft drink company.
The participants form teams and build original flying machines that are pushed off a springboard, mounted six meters above the water surface. They will land in the Rusanivsky Canal.
The jury evaluates the following criteria: distance, creativity and showmanship. The winning team will be awarded a trip to “Red Bull Air Race” in Lisbon, Portugal.
The second prize is a trip to the aviation museum Angar-7 in Saltsburg, Austria, while third place merits a parachute jump for the whole team. More than 700 teams applied for participation in the first Ukrainian “Red Bull Flugtag,” but only 40 of them were selected for competition. Last year, the first Ukrainian flugtag team — fronted by Ukrainian musician Oleg Skrypka (pictured) — took part in the competition in Moscow.
This year, the organizers likewise promise celebrity guests who will join in the flying fun. Flugtag (German for flight day or air show) was invented by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and first took place in 1991 in Vienna, Austria. Since then, it has been held annually in more than 35 cities. To compete, each team must have a flying machine with maximum wingspan of 9.14 meters and maximum weight (with pilot inside) of 204 kilograms. Since the aircraft will land in water, it must be unsinkable and constructed entirely of environmentally friendly materials.
Red Bull Flugtag (Rusanivsky Canal, next to Slavutich hotel). June 19, noon. www.redbullflugtag.com.ua
