FINAL COUNTDOWN TO LIFTOFF: RED BULL FLUGTAG OTTAWA-GATINEAU TAKES FLIGHT SATURDAY, JULY 27

Mon, Jul 22, 2013 23:15 CET

-- 30 teams from across Canada prepare human-powered crafts as ‘Flying Day’ takes over the nation’s capital --

TORONTO, ON – July 22, 2013 – Flight crew, prepare for takeoff! T-minus 5 days until Red Bull Flugtag officially lifts off at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa-Gatineau! On Saturday, July 27th, the most ambitious, daring and downright zany amateur aviators from across Canada will take to the skies (and water) in an attempt to soar into the record books with their homemade, human-powered flying machines. Thirty teams from coast to coast were selected to design, build and pilot their crafts off a 22-ft ‘flight deck’, soaring over and into the waters below, all in the name of fun. To help select a true ace from the pack of imaginative crafts ranging from flying frying pans to winged beenies, we have assembled an all-star cast of judges who know a thing or two about getting airborne.

Red Bull Flugtag Ottawa-Gatineau is free to the public, and everyone is invited to come and support the soaring heroes for an afternoon of high-flying antics. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 27th, with the first flight departing at 12:00 p.m. sharp. For more information, including team bios, photos, video or to play the Flight Lab online game, visit www.redbullflugtag.ca.

THE JUDGES ARE IN…

Although Flugtag is chock full of entertainment and an all-around good time, just like any competition, a winner will be crowned at the end of the day. In order to help uncover the most innovative homemade, human-powered craft aviators in Canada, a star-studded judging panel has been assembled to help make the call.

This year’s Red Bull Flugtag judges have collectively logged enough air-time (or sent others into the air!) over the years, and can use their experience to help determine which of the country’s best teams will make it to the podium.

Sebastien Toutant: As one of Canada’s youngest Olympic hopefuls, professional slopestyle snowboarder ‘Seb Toots’ seems to be more at home in the air than on the ground. He first broke onto the slopestyle snowboarding scene in a major way when he took home first place at the 2006 Empire Shakedown. Just 15 years old at the time, it was only the start of a stunning array of snowboard titles at competitions around the globe. In 2011, Seb earned gold at the X-Games and made history as the highest recorded snowboard slopestyle score. With no plans on slowing down, he is a force to be reckoned with on any slopestyle or Big Air jump around the world!

Marc Methot: A hometown native of Ottawa, Marc Methot is now “living the dream, playing in his own backyard” after being acquired by the Ottawa Senators in 2012. In only a short time, the ‘Minister of Defense’ as he’s affectionately called has made his presence known at the blue line, logging 130 hits and posting 11 points in 2012/13, his first season with The Sens. A speedy and defensive skater, Marc really knows how to fly!

FLIGHT PROTOCOL

So what will our judges be looking for exactly? Although we'd all love to fly by the seat of our pants, there are rules and regulations each team must respect, besides gravity, of course. Rule #1: All flying machines must be entirely human-powered! That means no external energy sources or stored power of any kind. Rule #2: The width of each craft is limited to 28ft wide. Rule #3: All crafts must weigh no more than 200 kilos (400 lbs), including the pilot.

Teams will be competing for a bevy of amazing prizes. First place wins a cash purse of $7,500. Second place wins $3,000 and third place wins $1,500. There are also special prizes awarded for the People’s Choice, as the public is invited to vote during the event for their favourite team.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

If your German is a bit rusty, Flugtag means “flying day”, but don’t expect to see anything resembling a traditional plane take flight. Instead, ingenious human-powered crafts certain to electrify crowds will launch into the Ottawa-Gatineau skies. The daredevil visionaries who concocted the imaginative crafts are given the chance to stand on a 22-foot flight deck built at the Canadian Museum of Civilization with nothing but the Ottawa River between them and a triumphant flight to the shore of the Parliament Buildings.

Since its debut in Vienna, Austria in 1992, there have been more than 100 Red Bull Flugtag events held around the globe from Ireland to Israel, and this year will be the second time Canada will host the event in our nation’s capital. The panel of celebrity judges will take three criteria into account in deciding who makes the podium: distance flown, creativity of the craft, and the team’s showmanship on stage. Each team will have 30 seconds to perform an original skit to win over the crowd and impress the judges, before pushing, dragging, and ultimately launching their homemade crafts off the flight deck into the Ottawa River below.

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Facebook: www.facebook.com/redbull

Twitter: @RedBullCanada | #Flugtag

Instagram: RedBullCanada

Website: www.redbullflugtag.ca

Judges’ Twitter Handles

Sebastien Toutant - @SebToots

Marc Methot - @MarcMethot3

For more information, please contact:

Rosie Shipton | Emily Palley-Samson

Edelman

416-849-1505 | 416-849-8944

Rosie.Shipton@Edelman.com | Emily.Palley-Samson@Edelman.com