Tampa Launches Flutag Flights....Hot and Crowded

Yep, that is what it was...hot and crowded...
The boats were the best place to be....but Charlie and I did find a little bit of shade and Gatorade got us through it...
Ash, Matt, Chad & Brian called it quits earlier and sought out air-conditioning and TV to view the finals...Matt's friend, Crawdad, provided a good view for them as well...
It was....FUN!

This is the newspaper report from yesterday....

By: BOBBIE O'BRIEN
TAMPA (2008-07-18)

A worldwide sporting event will launch Saturday at the Tampa Bay Convention Center.

The Flutag, which means flying day in German, is a competition for human-powered craft.

It's been held in Rome, San Francisco and now Tampa.

There have been more than 40 Flutags worldwide since 1991, but Tampa's is the first ever to have two Cuban sandwich flying craft competing and three shoes.

In all, 35 teams were selected from more than 300 submissions.

The rules are simple.

Crafts must be human powered, hand-built and weigh no more than 450 pounds with pilot.

The flying contraptions will launch off a 30-foot ramp built over the water.

Uniqueness, flight distance and showmanship will determine the winner......

.....This one, Bay Watch, below actually flew quite a ways....100 ft.

the rest just plunged into the water at the end of the 30 ft' ramp....

Sorry no Red Bull for me...Gatorade was my 'drink of choice'....

USF had an entry....these guys have written 'totally lame' on their backs...

The crazy....and the sacred...all was out in full force...

This one was entered by the USPS called 'Junk Mail'....went straight in the water...