Red Bull's Flugtag Competition

Overview

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a team of New Zealand hopefuls taking to the air in Auckland's inaugural Red Bull Flugtag competition.

On Saturday, December 10, the sky above Auckland's Wynard Quarter will be filled with teams channelling their inner Amelia Earhart as they launch homemade flying machines off a six-metre-high ramp, attempting to soar as far as possible before landing into the ocean.

They don't have a death wish — this is the name of the game that is Flugtag, an international Red Bull competition that takes place in countries around the world and sees teams attempt to outdo each other by flying the furthest in homemade crafts. And yes, there's a cash incentive: teams will be judged on pre-flight performance, creativity, and flight distance, and can win $15,000 for first prize, $10,000 for second place $5,000 for third.

The record distance to beat? A whopping 78.6 metres, set by a team called The Chicken Whisperers in California back in 2013.

Organisers say they expect crowds of more than 15,000 down at the waterfront on competition day to watch more 30 teams battle it out and kick off summer in the wettest and wildest way possible.
And the best part? It's completely free for the public to attend. Head down to Wynyard Quarter on competition day to witnessn the action— the first craft will be taking to the air at 12pm.