Thirty-three Teams Selected for Red Bull Flugtag Chicago



    CHICAGO, July 25 /EMWNews/ -- Hundreds of teams from across the

United States (and even one from Canada) applied to participate in Red Bull

Flugtag Chicago, but only 33 teams got the green light to take to the skies

on September 6 in this outrageous, human-powered flying competition. The

Great Lake states will be well represented with teams from Iowa, Illinois,

Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio taking part in the

competition.



    What will these crafty Midwesterners construct to represent their great

states? Corn, stir fry pans, mustaches, Smurfs, pies (for you

out-of-towners, in Chicago lingo that means pizza) and Nintendo characters

are just some of the fun and quirky crafts taking flight. Creativity will

reign supreme as these teams entertain crowds on North Avenue Beach before

leaping off a 25-foot high flight deck, soaring into the Illinois sky and

ultimately splashing into the cold waters below.



    Flug What?



    In German, flugtag means "flying day." In English, it means lots of

fun. Spectators will witness teams of daredevils and visionaries launch

their homemade, human-powered flying machines into the air before

inevitably plunging into the cold, murky waters of Lake Michigan. The panel

of celebrity judges will take three criteria into account in deciding who

makes the podium: distance flown, creativity of the craft, and the team's

showmanship on stage.



    Why participate in such a daring feat? Because the first place team

wins an all-expense paid trip to a Red Bull Air Race World Series U.S.

stop, second place wins a skydiving trip with the Red Bull Air Force and

the third place team wins a Red Bull Flugtag hometown viewing party that no

one will soon forget! Oh yes, and spectators get a chance to participate

too... they can root for their favorite team via SMS voting to select the

People's Choice Award.



    The first Red Bull Flugtag took off in Vienna, Austria, in 1991 and has

since visited more than 30 countries around the world attracting crowds of

up to 300,000. Currently, 195 feet stands as the farthest flight which was

set back in 2000 in Austria, but the United States isn't far behind with a

record of 155 feet set just last year in Nashville, Tenn.! North Avenue

Beach in Chicago will host the third and final 2008 Red Bull Flugtag in the

United States.



    RULES DO APPLY



    Pay close attention! There are some rules and regulations in this

flying contest. Rule #1: All flying machines must be entirely

human-powered! That means no external energy sources or stored power of any

kind. Rule #2: The width of each craft is limited to 30 feet. Rule #3: All

crafts must weigh no more than 450 lbs, which includes the pilot.



    Gates open at 11:00am and the first craft launches for flight at

1:00pm. No tickets required -- this is a FREE event and open to the public.

For more information, including team bios, photos and video footage from

past Red Bull Flugtag events please visit http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com.