LONG BEACH – Those magnificent men (and women) in their flying machines. They went “up diddly up” and most definitely “down diddly down.”
And one machine unexpectedly went far diddly far.
In the inaugural National Red Bull Flugtag day Saturday, contestants in five cities nationwide flew their home-made, hand-powered crafts off 28- to 30-foot ramps. And one, The Chicken Whisperers from Mountain View, set a new flugtag record with a flight of 258 feet, smashing the previous record set in Germany by 30 feet. The team also smashed the U.S. record by about 50 feet.
Designed by aerospace and rocket engineers, self-described engineering geeks, and flown by Laura Shane, the simple, silver, space-age-looking craft left the ramp and just glided and glided, almost in slow-motion, before gently settling into the water.
Given that organizers only had flight measurement markers out to 100 feet, these chickens definitely flew the coop.
When asked why he wanted to help design the craft, former rocket scientist Marshall Gusman said, “Why fly rockets when you can build these?”
On a flug-perfect day, throngs of fans, rivaling the 100,000 from the 2010 Long Beach Flutag, crowded around the lighthouse at Rainbow Park and selected viewing areas around Rainbow Harbor to witness the shenanigans.
Flugtag, a German translation of flight day, is a contest that scores flight distance, creativity and showmanship.
For the record, the Chicken Whisperers were the overall winners, followed by Long Beach’s own Legendary Flying Machine and the Oakley Factory Fliers. The people’s choice award went to flugtag veterans Red, White and Brews from Reedley.
But, of course, flight is only part of the show. And a small part, at that. Most onlookers were there for the splats, and the more spectacular the better.
Fun and hi-jinks are also as much a part of the event as aerodynamic acumen. And there was plenty of both.
In addition to the record long flight, there was a near-record no flight, as a UFO by Team Haunt began to lift backwards before it was wrestled off the ramp.
The event even featured a marriage proposal from the ramp, to which one of the event judges later remarked, “The guy proposed, then tried to commit suicide.”
Flying contraptions ranged from craft that would have done the Wright brothers proud, to others for which the only question was how fast would they fall down, like the house inspired by the movie “Up,” whose only nod to flight were a couple dozen helium balloons above the chimney.
A pyramid surprisingly opened into a flying machine.
Many craft were notable for their fancy designs, including dragons, bulls and a few “what-the-heck-is that?” Others were built for utility and others purely for comedic effect.
A surprising number of the derring-doers were in it to win it.
Four Long Beach teams were entered: Legendary Flying Machine, a replica of the Spruce Goose plane flown in Long Beach by Howard Hughes, complete with a crew that included three geese, one spruce and a Howard Hughes; Viaje de los Muertos, or Flight of the Dead, by a team of engineering students from Cal State Long Beach; Flycycle, led by executive chef Pete Lehmar of Gladstone’s; and Ship Yeah, a spooky contraption with a plane and the Queen Mary linked together.
For a short time, the Legendary Flying Machine ruled the skies. Their craft made it about 70-80 feet before gliding to a smooth landing. Unfortunately for them, they were eclipsed by the next team, which was the Chicken Whisperers.
One team that seemed to capture at least part of the attitude of the day was Red, White and Brews, a team of thrill-seekers from Reedley. The team, which has competed in past flugtags, got their introduction to Red Bull in a soapbox competition, before graduating to flying.
“We got bored (in Reeley),” crew member Brett Hacker said of catching the Red Bull bug. Last time out, the team flew 42 feet. But since they lightened their craft, and their pilot lost 35 pounds, they were looking for big air.
A large crowd came out to see Viaje de los Muertos. Among them were Gracie and Melissa Zelaya, sisters to craft pilot Marycruz Zelaya. Both said they were a little worried.
“But she’s calm,” Melissa said.
“Too calm,” added Oscar Beltran, a classmate of the CSULB crew.
The Phoenix, the name of the CSULB craft, did an elegant 180-degree vertical loop before depositing Marycruz on her head, but uninjured.
Which is what it’s all about.
Contact the writer: gmellen@lbregister.com
