After the success of the 2008 event, Red Bull Flugtag is returning to Istanbul, Turkey on May 23, with rally driver Burcu Çetinkaya making a guest judging appearance.
Once again the competition will be held at Caddeboston Park. Situated on the Asian side of the city, the picturesque park has been described as ‘Istanbul’s Central Park’ and is usually used for sailing, cycling, running and socialising.
However this weekend it will be transformed as 40 teams get ready to take part in this year’s Flugtag. On what promises to be a lively day, there will also be appearances from BASE jumper Cedric Dumont and the Red Bull Kiteforce Team.
Anyone is allowed to enter the competition. However, in order to take part each team must meet certain criteria. Every flying machine must have a maximum wingspan of 30ft (10m), a maximum weight, including pilot, of 450lbs (204kg) and be powered by muscle, gravity or imagination.
The aim of the entrants is therefore to see how far they can launch their machines off the edge of a 30ft (10m) platform. They are then judged in three categories; distance, creativity and showmanship. The longest distance recorded two years ago in Istanbul was 26.9m (by the Flying Turkeys) – the longest ever recorded flight is 59.4m, set in Austria in 2000.
Ultimately everyone will end up in the water, and for that reason all designs must be unsinkable and be built entirely from environmentally friendly materials without any loose parts.
Flugtag was the brainchild of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and the first event was held in Vienna, Austria in 1991. Since then it has become such a success that it is now held annually in over 35 cities across the world. Learn more about Flugtag here.
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