Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta 2017: Wacky Red Bull Flugtag To Debut

PITTSBURGH, PA - You probably have never heard of a Flugtag, but the wacky, one-of-a-kind event likely will leave long-lasting memories at this weekend’s EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

New to the Regatta, the Red Bull Flugtag consists of teams of five people who build homemade flying machines that are launched off a 22-foot high deck to see which can fly the furthest. Flugtag means “flying day” in German.

“Pittsburgh is known as the City of Champions, and we can’t wait to see the creative, unique flying machines Pittsburghers think up to help our city make this Flugtag one for the record books,” said Derek Weber of LionHeart Event Group, the regatta’s production management company. “It’s going to be a sight our city and the regatta have never seen.”

Here are some of the teams competing in the Red Bull Flugtag, which will occur Aug. 5 at 11 a.m. at the North Shore steps:

• Mr. Rogers’ Friendly Skies: Honoring the memory of the late children’s show host and Pittsburgh icon Fred Rogers, this craft is a trolley and team members will dress like the show’s beloved puppet characters.

• Wright Burghers: Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics students and the dean will fly a Wright Brothers-themed craft.

• Peng-Wings: Who says Penguins can’t fly? This, of course, is a Stanley Cup-themed craft.

• I.C. Flight Crew: A team of Youngstown State engineering students will man a Heinz Ketchup bottle-shaped craft.

• Phantom Flyers: Engineers from Pittsburgh who obviously are fond of Kennywood are building a flyer inspired by the Phantom's Revenge that will be perched atop a batch of Potato Patch fries.

• Back To The Future: This flyer is in the shape of a skateboard.

Photo by brandsteve via Creative Commons.