FlugTag means "flying day" in German, and the idea of this event is to create a craft that a pilot pushes off a ramp and flies, at least for a little bit, over the Delaware River. "We plan to set some new records with our aircraft," said Brady Lieburger. "You can see the aerodynamic features of the nose, the glasses and of course, where would you be without some nicely manicured eyebrows." Aerodynamics is just part of this competition; the crafts have to be imaginative, as well. Among the 33 contenders, spectators could find breakfast foods, a Roman chariot, Oompa Loompas, and even a lobster. "I've never seen a lobster fly, I really want to see what happens with that," said John Wade. The teams came from near and far. The Tastykake theme and Ocean City Beach Patrol entries were clearly local, but "Duct and Cover" came from Virginia Tech. "We just know thought that duck tape fixes everything, so we thought, maybe duct tape would be able to fly also," said Brian Lusher. Even the U.S. Naval Academy was represented. "We finish our school work first and have fun second, so we are having a lot of fun today," said E.J. Halton. As fun as the machines are to look at, the real competition begins when they try to jump off the ramp to see how far they can fly. In the end, there were flops than flights, but all seemed to agree FlugTag was fun.
FlugTag flying crafts on the Camden waterfront
PHILADELPHIA - September 15, 2012
Perfect weather combined with creativity and a bit of reckless daring for FlugTag on the Camden Waterfont.
