Red Bull Flugtag ("Flying Day") Competition

The Red Bull Flugtag ("Flying Day") Competition of homemade aircraft had such fun visiting Tampa in July 2008 that it returns today, with 40 teams from around the country and the world vying for the bragging rights of the longest flight.

Each team will launch from the flight deck 30 feet above the Seddon Channel adjacent to the Tampa Convention Center, starting at 1pm. The last flight is scheduled for 3:30pm.

Red Bull rules say all the flying machines must be entirely human-powered (no external energy sources or stored power such as slingshots or catapults). All crafts also must be less than 30 feet wide and must weigh no more than 450 lbs. (including the pilot).

Some of the teams hoping to catch air include Team Shake Weight, The Free Range Flyers, and the pilots of a flying sombrero, a giant stapler, and a "Harry Potter"-themed creation from the United Kingdom, Red Bull says. Some participants have flight or engineering backgrounds; others include firefighters, roller-derby gals and those in touch with their inner silliness.

Tampa's 2008 reigning champions -- then called Team Baywatch, who flew 109 feet -- are in the competition this year as Willy Wonka’s Amazing Flying Adventure, Red Bull says. The current Flugtag record is 207 feet, set last year in St. Paul, Minn.

Spectators can watch for free. Organizers encourage viewers to take the in-town trolley to the convention center for convenience, or watch from the water on a boat.