Buckle Your Seatbelts - Red Bull Flugtag Is Prepared for Arrival in Chicago!

CHICAGO, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 6, the outrageous human-powered flying competition known as Red Bull Flugtag will once again soar over the Windy City, but this time it will touch down in the salty waters of North Avenue Beach. While Flugtag's 2003 stop in Chicago saw its fair share of tributes to Harry Caray, the Cubs and Chicago-style hot dogs, this year it is up to a new crop of Midwesterners to take flight.

Flugtag, which means "flying day" in German, is the only competition where the creative, brave and often slightly crazy get to pilot homemade flying machines off the end of a 22-foot ramp and into the great wide open -- or, as is ultimately the case, the great Lake Michigan waters below. Thirty teams of up to five members each will get the chance to prove their chops, shake their feathers and test their engine-free inventions at North Avenue Beach. But time's-a-flyin' so sharpen your pencils and get the creative juices flowing! All brave souls must apply online at http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com by June 6, 2008.

PIE IN THE SKY

Chicago is famous for pizza and baseball, so don't be surprised if this windy city gives flight to just that -- or perhaps a giant sized PEZ dispenser, a 20-foot banjo or a Purple People Eater. For those who are still stumped, try asking one of the 70,000 spectators who flocked to the beach at Red Bull Flugtag Chicago in 2003 and might have a few ideas!

Teams will be judged on three criteria: distance, creativity and showmanship. Distance is measured in flying feet -- how far can your craft soar? Creativity, on the other hand, ensures an extraordinary flying day, so save your plane-jane replicas for next year's science project and shift imagination into overdrive. We're looking for the unusual, the head-turning ... even the slightly shocking! Finally, showmanship requires that each team spend one minute on the flight deck strutting their stuff before launching their craft. So think big, get sketching and show us what you've got!

FAA RULES DO NOT APPLY

Although originality is key and daredevils are welcome, there are a few rules. All flying machines must be entirely human-powered (no external energy sources or stored power so forget about the slingshots, catapults or anything besides your own brawn). Second, all crafts must be less than 30 feet wide. And finally, no matter what they say, size does matter -- all crafts must weigh less than 450 lbs (including the pilot.)

Since the first Red Bull Flugtag held in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, more than 40 Flugtags have been held around the world, attracting up to 300,000 spectators for a single event. The record for the farthest flight-to-date currently stands at 195 feet and was set at Red Bull Flugtag Austria in 2000. A new U.S. record was set just last year at Red Bull Flugtag Nashville with a flight of 155 feet.

Red Bull Flugtag Chicago is free and open to the public. For more information, including applications, photos, and video footage from past Red Bull Flugtag events, visit http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com. For media inquires, contact Jen Belongia at 1-312-320-6260 or jennifer.belongia@us.redbull.com.