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00:00In this cradle of liberty, it was a pivotal sight in the resistance to British rule
00:04that would eventually create the most powerful nation on Earth.
00:08Today, teams of fearless Bostonians will honour their history and once again break free.
00:14But this time, it's from the shackles of gravity,
00:17as they pilot an array of weird and wonderful flying machines from this gigantic runway.
00:23The question is, who will soar above the city like an American eagle
00:27and who will plummet like a Thanksgiving turkey?
00:31Welcome to Red Bull Fluke Tag.
00:53Hello and welcome to Boston,
00:55home to some of the most important moments in American history,
00:58including the infamous tea party, Paul Revere's ride,
01:02and now the greatest air show on Earth, Red Bull Fluke Tag.
01:06We're stood on a custom-built platform eight metres above the Charles River
01:10and in just a few moments a group of fearless aviators
01:13and their homemade flying machines are going to throw themselves over the edge
01:16in an attempt to glide as far as possible.
01:18Now, Boston is renowned globally as an academic centre of excellence.
01:22MIT, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the other side of the river there,
01:27is arguably the best university on the planet.
01:29So it stands to reason that the standard of engineering in the hangar should be breathtaking.
01:34But Vic, you've been down there. Is it as high as we hoped?
01:37I have, Ed. And you know what? It is even better.
01:40There are some incredible flying machines back there,
01:43not just from a structural viewpoint, but also the levels of creativity are second to none.
01:48You're happy about that?
01:49Yeah.
01:50So I can safely say that the 30,000 strong crowd who've come here today are in for a great show.
01:54Now, the first of our teams are almost ready to throw themselves off this runway,
01:58but before they do, please pay attention to this pre-flight demonstration of the history and rules of Flugtag.
02:05In a day and age when technology has made mankind the master of the sky,
02:10it's fair to say we've lost a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to the experimentation
02:16and flamboyance of aviation's earliest pioneers.
02:20But one event seeks to turn back the clock and inject the fun back into the fundamental principles of flight.
02:28Red Bull Flugtag.
02:30German for flying day.
02:32Flugtag challenges artists and engineers alike as teams of friends, family and colleagues
02:38try to create a homemade flying machine that not only looks great, but flies too.
02:43Since its first event in 1992, Flugtag has gone on to be watched by millions around the world
02:49from California to Cape Town, Miami to Moscow.
02:54Fun might be the order of the day, but this is most definitely a competition.
02:59And to decide a winner, a panel of judges scores each team on three categories,
03:04including design of the craft, a 30 second pre-flight performance
03:09and last but not least, the total distance flown.
03:13And despite what you're thinking, some of these machines can and do fly.
03:18Exhibit A, the current world flight record of a colossal 78 metres set in 2013 in Long Beach, California.
03:27At the end of the day, the team with the most points combined with the total distance flown
03:32will be crowned today's Red Bull Flugtag champion.
03:37The wait is over. The first of our teams is on the flight deck, ready to go.
03:42All that is left to do now is hand over to our man in the commentary box, Darren Fletcher.
03:47Thank you, guys. So there is the magnificent Charles River.
03:51And these planes will be looking to fly as far as they possibly can.
03:56What is essential and certainly helpful is a moderate headwind.
03:59One of those, and it helps the craft fly that little bit further.
04:03Something wonderful, the first team, their motto is unexpected every time.
04:08What they are expecting today is a decent flight.
04:11We're going to find out what these Boston Brain Boxers have come up with for this latest event.
04:17There is the hang glider on the top, which is quite a popular way to build these particular vehicles.
04:27And here we go towards the end of the takeoff ramp.
04:30And there's the release, and there's the flight, and down we go.
04:33And there's the taste of Charles Riverwater for the first team today.
04:37Something wonderful, 12.8 metres.
04:40And we tend to think that's about par for the course today, analysing the conditions and what we have here in Boston for this one.
04:49There we see the takeoff.
04:55And it just needed that little bit of a gust to give it that extra push at the start, and it tended to nosedive down.
05:01It's not too bad.
05:02Don't forget the teams are going to be judged on performance as well.
05:05They'll receive a score out of 60, and they get 49 to kick us off.
05:10You cannot get that eight up there fast enough.
05:15Lots of people here today, as always.
05:17And the next team we have is Dinosaur.
05:20You can see what they've done there.
05:21And I'm reliably informed this is a horrifying amalgamation of a Velociraptor and a Golden Eagle.
05:29And there is the performance element of all this.
05:33The crowd enjoying it as they always do.
05:40So let's have a look at this latest team then.
05:42I mentioned the headwind.
05:45A moderate headwind is ideal.
05:47The wind is just starting to get up a little bit, which might pose a problem.
05:50So off goes Dinosaur.
05:52Down goes Dinosaur.
05:54And it was more Dino plunge in the end into the Charles River.
05:598.2 metres as well.
06:01We said 12.8 was about par for the course.
06:04So you can do the maths as well as I can.
06:06In fact, probably better than I can.
06:08And it never really got going.
06:09You can see the headwind now lifted it backwards.
06:12Too much wind at it.
06:14And it lifted it.
06:16No forward motion and straight down into the water.
06:20The performance is 43.
06:25What a great day.
06:26What a great day.
06:27Did you enjoy it?
06:28I had a blast.
06:29Absolutely.
06:30This is going to go down in history.
06:32I'm going to tell my kids this when they think I'm not cool.
06:35I don't think there is any chance of your kids not thinking you're cool.
06:38I'm thinking you're cool.
06:39That was amazing guys.
06:40Go and celebrate.
06:41That was brilliant.
06:42Can I have a video?
06:43Team Dinosaur.
06:44Team Dinosaur.
06:46Okay.
06:47Gustave and the Whiteheads come next here in Boston.
06:49And we've got an historical situation here.
06:51Because they claim the Wright brothers weren't the first people to fly.
06:55They claim that it was Gustave Whitehead in 1901.
06:59Two years before the Wright brothers.
07:01So everything you've been taught from this point on forget it.
07:04Because these boys are going to disprove the theory.
07:06And there is the craft they've built.
07:08Dave is the pilot.
07:10The wingspan on this particular plane is spectacular.
07:13But the flight isn't.
07:14Look at it.
07:15Straight down.
07:16Like a lead balloon into the Charles River.
07:1910.9 meters.
07:20Which is better than I thought initially.
07:22But still nowhere near good enough.
07:24Look how wide it is.
07:25And you can see the problem again with the wind getting slightly blowier than it was at the outset.
07:31They're not quite getting the release off the runway.
07:34And they're plunging straight down with a big splash as well to finish the day.
07:39Good old Gustave at the front gets a wet chin early on that flight.
07:46Why not?
07:47Hold on.
07:48Let's look over to our judging panel.
07:49So 40 for the performance out of 60 for Gustave and the Whiteheads.
07:55Say hello to Team Fight or Flight.
07:57Big hockey fans, what do you prefer doing?
07:59Fighting or flying?
08:00Fighting.
08:01Fighting.
08:02I'll take that as fighting.
08:03Here to fight.
08:04As the pilot today, flying.
08:06Well, they puck up the courage to take to the air.
08:09Let's learn a little bit more about them.
08:12My name is Dave.
08:13I'm the pilot for Team Fight or Flight.
08:15And we're from Boston.
08:16So on our team, we have Brian and we have Alex.
08:19And the two of them took on the hardest task, which is building the glider.
08:23Rich, our creative guy.
08:25He did all of the decoration and paper mache work and making sure everything looks really good.
08:30And lastly, we have Sean, who's our team choreographer slash costume designer.
08:35To make sure we're going to look good ourselves on the day of.
08:38They can be a bit unruly at times, but for the most part, we banded together and put together
08:43a pretty good, I think, craft.
08:45It really helps when you have a lot of beer in hand.
08:47Our craft's theme is based around the local hockey team here, the Boston Bruins.
08:52And one of, if not the most famous player in their history, Bobby Orr.
08:57We decided to encapsulate what we think is the most important moment in Boston aviation history
09:03when Bobby Orr scored Stanley Cup championship winning goal
09:06and ended up flying through the air and was captured in this beautiful photograph.
09:10So we're going to have him flying on top of our craft.
09:13On flight day, Bobby Orr is going to soar and bring home the championship one more time.
09:20Okay, so team fight or flight.
09:22And what they've got to do basically is fly better than a former ice hockey player.
09:26Albeit one of the great ice hockey players of all time, the great Bobby Orr.
09:34There's the performance and the spandex swimming trunks might go down well with the judges.
09:39We'll wait and see. Let's have a look.
09:41Then off they go towards the end of the ramp.
09:48Not too much in the way of speed.
09:50And then off he goes.
09:51He turned round the wrong way.
09:53Started to spin round towards the left.
09:567.3 metres.
09:58And I've got to be honest, I think Bobby Orr went further than that on the picture that we saw.
10:03And it all went wrong when it flew out towards the left, didn't it?
10:07Can't go left and far at the same time.
10:10You've got to go in a straight line.
10:13There's the performance.
10:1545 for team fight or flight.
10:19You know what? The crowd loved you and the judges did too.
10:21And I think it's all down to...
10:24It's down to...
10:28Oh yeah.
10:29Was it sort of in your game plan to maybe distract them before the flight?
10:35So they wouldn't even notice really how well he did.
10:38Well we wanted to get the hearts however we could.
10:39Whether that was flying far or by showing them our assets.
10:43Well you brought the entertainment.
10:44I can't wait to see you later at the after party.
10:46Are you going to be dressed like this?
10:48Maybe.
10:52Okay, the Flying Franks.
10:54Named, we think, after the famous Fenway Frank, the ballpark food at the home of the Boston Red Sox.
11:01They love a hot dog over here.
11:03So team Flying Frank are going to try and get the sausage as airborne as they possibly can.
11:11There we can see the sesame seeds on the side of the bun.
11:13And the ketchup coloured wings on the top.
11:18Bit of mustard on the side as well.
11:20Will it fly?
11:21We will wait and see.
11:23There goes the bun and straight down.
11:25Oh, he's caught the wings on the ramp and that's never good, is it?
11:28You can see that the legs started to thrust around.
11:31He panicked the pilot.
11:33And then the wing tip caught the ramp and down he went.
11:38Here we see it, look now.
11:40There's the legs.
11:41The wing on the left never released.
11:43And I think this is the first example of the headwind becoming a little bit too strong.
11:48It's stored, look, on take-off.
11:50The man on the left can't get let go of the wing.
11:52He can't stop his legs shaking around.
11:54And the plane itself can't go forward.
11:57It's a disaster from start to finish.
12:02They've actually gone further than the plane itself by just jumping off.
12:06And there's the score.
12:0740 out of 60 for the performance for the Flying Franks.
12:09In one of the cruelest pieces of legislation that ever passed,
12:15Boston once banned Christmas for more than 20 years.
12:19Luckily, though, it's been reinstated.
12:21And this crowd of 30,000 people have seen it come early
12:25because they get to see teams from across America
12:28doing battle in the skies above Boston for Red Bull Flug Tag.
12:31We've got a short break.
12:32Do not go anywhere.
12:33Welcome back to Red Bull Flug Tag here in America's oldest city, Boston.
12:49We've got teams of friends, family and colleagues who've all built homemade flying machines
12:54to launch off an eight metre platform in a bid to fly as far as possible.
12:59The action is coming thick and far, so let's get straight back into it on the flight deck.
13:03Let's do exactly that.
13:05And we've got Flying Ryan next commemorating one of their friends here, this particular team.
13:12It's been a labour of love developing this particular craft and they hope it's going to fly really well.
13:17It's our second female pilot of the day as well.
13:20A couple of brave girls out there on the ramp in windy conditions here in Boston over the Charles River.
13:29Towards the end of the ramp there's nothing in the way of speed towards take-off
13:34and it's up there and it catches the wind again and it pushed it backwards a little bit.
13:397.3 metres but the plane itself was in the air for a long time
13:43for not much in the way of distance and a big splash at the end.
13:47It's a slightly different way of doing it.
13:49Hope the wind would do its job but it didn't really.
13:51It was too windy at the front again.
13:53Stopped it in flight and down it went and the performance score 45.
14:00Joanna, Wonder Woman, how did that feel?
14:03It was amazing.
14:04I'm just so glad that I actually committed to it and flew.
14:08I didn't fly backwards so that was amazing.
14:10You were like actual Wonder Woman because you got so much height, so much air.
14:14You were just hanging there for ages.
14:16Did I look pretty?
14:17You looked beautiful.
14:19Thank you darling.
14:20It was so much fun though.
14:21It's a great time, great event.
14:23It was in honour of our friend Ryan who passed away so it was for him, the Flying Ryan.
14:28He'd be so proud.
14:31Okay, so next we've got Flight Riot.
14:33Now these are one of the pre-event favourites because they are absolute anoraks with regards to flight.
14:39Anything to do with flight, these boys know what they're talking about.
14:42They spent $585 to build their plane and they think they're coming here to win.
14:49That's the sole intention.
14:50It looks the part, they're talking the part and we'll see whether they can live up to it here in Boston today.
14:56Towards the end of the runway, that ramp and on it goes and on it goes and that wasn't bad at all, was it?
15:03Nice and smooth from the take off to the landing, way past 12.8, 21.0 metres, which is 68.8 feet in terms of distance.
15:14That's a really good flight, look how smooth it was.
15:17Aerodynamically sound, did what it was supposed to do and did it very well indeed.
15:23There you see it from side on, it never wavered in the air, just got the distance.
15:29Now we await the performance score and that's good as well, 52 out of a possible 60.
15:35Flight Riot, I'm going to keep with the Pokemon theme there, you absolutely caught them all.
15:41The crowd loved you, the judges gave you amazing marks, you flew and your craft is still intact.
15:47You must be feeling good.
15:49It feels great, it feels great, it was such a blast.
15:52We keep on saying it, we built this thing in 10 days, we had a $500 budget.
15:56It just goes to show a little bit of perseverance and a good team, you can achieve anything, it's great.
16:01One, two, three, woo!
16:04Say hello to the monkey ballers, four bananas, one monkey called Alex.
16:09How confident are you that this thing can fly?
16:11Oh, we're very confident, we've already taken it flight testing with an actual test pilot,
16:15we got it off the ground, we know it works.
16:17They are very, very confident, allegedly these MIT graduating bananas have the highest IQs of any fruit in the world.
16:24Let's get to know them a little bit better.
16:26Hey, I'm Billy.
16:27And I'm Hayden.
16:28And we're from team MIT Monkey Ballers.
16:30Nailed it.
16:31Woo!
16:32We go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, best school in the world.
16:37I mean, people vote on that.
16:39Like, that's a fact.
16:40And it also happens to be right...
16:42Aw.
16:43They're right there.
16:44So, we have very specific specialties on this team.
16:48Each person kind of took their own job on the plane, and so everything was designed by literally an expert in that field.
16:53And Alex, he's the pilot, and he also did a lot of the aero design.
16:56The dude wrote code to simulate tens of thousands of different airplane shapes until we finally arrived at this one, which we think is the best.
17:03It's not a question of if it's going to fly.
17:06It's what?
17:07And how far.
17:08We're for sure going to win.
17:09I mean, when you think about MIT, think about aerospace, technology, think about bananas.
17:16And the most aerodynamic fruit is...
17:18Say it with me.
17:19Banana.
17:20If I was a betting man, which I am, I'd bet on us.
17:22You're not a betting man.
17:23But, like, I could.
17:24Yeah, true.
17:25Well, it's lovely to see such an understated bunch of guys on the ramp here in Boston, the MIT boys.
17:35It's not a case of if they win, it's a case of when they win.
17:38It's been aerodynamically tested, it gets off the ground, it flies well.
17:42And they know it will because they went to MIT and the banana is the most streamlined fruit in the world.
17:48So apart from that, you need to know nothing more other than these are sure to finish on the top step of the podium here today.
17:56Off they go then.
17:57Let's have a look at it.
17:58This should go a long way.
17:59Oh!
18:00No, it's not.
18:01No, it's not.
18:02It's nosedived into the Charles River.
18:04And that's what confidence does for you here today.
18:07So much to live up to.
18:09And it was a complete failure.
18:110.9 meters.
18:12And that has to hurt because he's gone in there, wings first, and landed on top of it.
18:18Now, Alex is the pilot.
18:20And all of that flexing in the pre-flight interview led to nothing.
18:24There he goes, over and down, and he's landed on top of the launch.
18:29Vehicle 2.
18:30Look at our scores right there.
18:3246, and a heavy landing for the pilot.
18:38My name is Sarita.
18:39I am from Possibilities Are Coming.
18:41We have Violet, who's the other co-choreographer besides myself.
18:46And then we have Shoddy and Chase, who are the lead engineers.
18:49And then we have Max, who's another pusher.
18:51Our craft is a giant dragon.
18:52It's red and black.
18:53And the head was done by an industrial engineer.
18:56We spent a great deal of time on the design and structure of it before we actually even got into construction.
19:01So we had a bunch of physicists and engineers working on the numbers.
19:05We have a good chance of winning if there's a headwind.
19:08We're praying for the right direction of wind.
19:10We really, really want to beat MIT.
19:13That's our goal.
19:14I think that's everyone's goal here is to beat the monkey ballers.
19:17That would be the dream.
19:23I've got some bad news.
19:24The wind is not what they wanted today.
19:26It's slightly heavier.
19:27But all they want to do is beat MIT.
19:30Bearing in mind, we've just seen what happened to MIT.
19:33That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?
19:35And this is the aircraft.
19:38Very, very smartly designed, I've got to say.
19:41It looks the part.
19:42Oh, it's gone wrong at the start.
19:44It's gone wrong at the start.
19:46They managed to catch her.
19:47That could have been nasty there, couldn't it, for Khaleesi the pilot.
19:53Let's hope it goes better from here on in.
19:56I've got to say, it's not great for your confidence, is it, on the ramp.
20:00Get a good grip of those handles.
20:03Here we go!
20:04How far can the Khaleesi take it?
20:05Oh, it's gone already!
20:06It's gone already!
20:07It's gone!
20:08She's hanging on, look!
20:09She's hanging on!
20:10Down she goes!
20:11There was no way she was letting go of that.
20:14No way!
20:15That was very...
20:16Minus 2.7 metres.
20:18Though she actually finished behind where she started.
20:21Look at that.
20:22How brave was that, though, to hang on?
20:24Look at it from this side.
20:26There's no way she's letting go of that.
20:29Oh, dear.
20:30Look at this.
20:31Watch this.
20:32Oh, my word.
20:33Look at that.
20:34Hang on!
20:35Hang on!
20:36Splash!
20:37Oh, dear.
20:38I've never seen anything like that.
20:39There she is.
20:40All's good in the world.
20:41And 38 out of 60 for the performance.
20:42That was a disaster.
20:43Sarita, first of all, that was an absolutely epic performance from Possibilities Are Coming.
20:58It started so, so well.
20:59I know.
21:00And then...
21:01We didn't calculate for that sort of wind.
21:03I wasn't in control anymore.
21:05But you know what?
21:06I have to commend you because you hung on and on and on until the last minute.
21:11What bravery.
21:12What were you feeling?
21:13I mean, the safety guys told me don't let go and I refused to let go of those handlebars.
21:18You took that so literally.
21:20You know what?
21:21Star of the show, though.
21:22Well done.
21:23Congratulations.
21:24Go and celebrate.
21:25And Darren, let us know what is coming up next.
21:27I agree.
21:28She was the star of the show and there was no way she was going to let go.
21:31So next we have Watched Sphinx.
21:33Andy, a.k.a. Memphis Slim, is the pilot.
21:37There's an Egyptian theme to this one, as you can see.
21:41They're a group of friends and they've told Andy that he's got to be the pilot
21:45because he's the thinnest of all of them and the lightest of all of them.
21:48So they think that's going to give this team the best chance for a long flight,
21:52which is what they need if they're going to win today with the sun shining here in Boston.
21:56Off they go.
21:57Watched Sphinx is in the air.
21:58Watched Sphinx is on the way down.
22:00And he went in heavy into the Charles River.
22:02I think he might well have got in face first, but it's a good distance.
22:0514.6.
22:06They'll be happy with that.
22:08Oh, look at that.
22:09I think you call that a face plant stroke belly flop.
22:13I remember those as a kid, you know, when you landed in the water like that
22:16really hurt your stomach for about half an hour.
22:18That's one of those, isn't it?
22:19Gets the legs up.
22:20Holds on tight and then bang, in you go.
22:23Wings on top.
22:25And 38 for the performance.
22:27And that's the last team of the day here in Boston.
22:29It's been a fantastic day.
22:31Still can't get Khaleesa out of my mind.
22:32Hanging on for grim death.
22:33Ed, who's the king of the Charles?
22:35Third place goes to the love-themed something wonderful.
22:40Flying like Egyptians into the runners-up spot are what Sphinx,
22:45but winging their way into the top spot are the aeronautical enthusiasts, Flight Riot.
22:58Oh, I said it before.
23:00You caught them all.
23:01You had great scores from the judges.
23:03The crowd loved you.
23:04You flew.
23:05And you've still got your craft intact.
23:06So it lives to fly another day.
23:07It was so much fun.
23:08You know, 10 days, 500 bucks to see what we could do as a team.
23:11And the team worked so well together.
23:13Congratulations.
23:14The winners of the Red Bull Flug Tag, Boston Flight Riot.
23:31Another fantastic Flug Tag enters the history books.
23:34But you've got to say the wind played its part today.
23:37Oh, yes.
23:38Yes, it did.
23:39It was a bit of an obstacle.
23:40Some of the teams that we thought were going to do really well did come up against it.
23:43But dramatic.
23:44What was your favourite team?
23:46Something wonderful.
23:47I love them.
23:48Such finesse.
23:49Such grace.
23:50Such elegance.
23:51Not just in their performance, but also their craft in its flight.
23:54It was as graceful as they were.
23:56And they used bamboo, which was innovative.
23:58No other team did this and it didn't break.
24:01It bent, yes, but it was so lightweight.
24:03It was the perfect, perfect material.
24:05Genius.
24:06I love them.
24:07What about you?
24:08The possibilities are coming.
24:09The way that dragon wheeled off the flight deck.
24:13180 degrees.
24:14I expected the mother of dragons to let go instantly.
24:17Instead, she clung on courageously.
24:19And for me, that embodied the spirit of Flug Tag today.
24:22Such perseverance.
24:23It's what it's all about.
24:24So all that's left to do is say thank you so much for watching.
24:27We'll see you next time.
24:28See ya.
24:57Bye.
24:58Bye.
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