The experience of building a craft for Trinidad’s first-ever Red Bull Flugtag event held on July 3, 2011 at Williams Bay, Chaguaramas was an absolutely unforgettable one for so many reasons. Aside from the sheer thrill of the idea of conceptualising, building and launching a home made flying machine off a ramp into the water, the dynamics of teamwork and the sheer logistics of the event will leave burning memories in the hearts and minds of many.
Just in case you need a recap, ‘flugtag’ is German for ‘flying day’. The Red Bull Flugtag competition has been held all over the world and thousands of people attend with some travelling to different countries just to witness this event that brings creativity, engineering and downright fun into one great package. The rules are simple: the craft’s wingspan does not exceed 30 feet and the combined weight of the craft pilot and any booster trolley does not exceed 500lbs. The primary objective is to fly the furthest but the points system is also equally favourable to the team’s stage performance of a 30-second skit and the creativity of the craft’s design and props. So basically, you had to be entertaining, look great and fly far to win.
Our team had set about developing plans with an actual aeronautical engineer and a real pilot who weighed in at just 110lbs. They were both game for building something that could break the record. But we needed a hangar and builders. We also needed T-shirts for our team and everyone we knew around us who would be willing to support. On paper we were off to a great start, perhaps better than most of the other teams out there. Two weeks into planning, our engineer had completed the scale drawings. We were late but nonetheless focused on our plan. No member of our team had ever attempted to build a full-scale flying machine before. But with the plans in hand, we secured a warehouse, builders, tools and materials. We would have two main teams with lots of overlap– the flying team a.k.a. the ‘BBM’ team and the build team a.k.a. ‘the men who put in the sweat’.
After one night’s work, the scale drawings were transposed to full-sized versions on board that could be used as a template. The next day, our builder set about cutting the cross-sectional pieces and we saw the beginnings of our beloved flying fish. Days turned to weeks and soon the wings were connected and ready for aluminium skin. Next, the fuselage was constructed and thanks to the evening’s questionable beverage consumption, all the sections were assembled in reverse order. This was quickly rectified with great laughter as the team trudged onward through the vicissitudes of inconsistent communication and supervision, conflicting ideas and large personality differences. These were the times when we all felt like it would fall apart at the seams. Time was drawing near and the deadline for transporting the craft was now upon us. At this point, one team member took a little vacation to the hospital thanks to a work-related hazard that left him feeling rather disoriented. After a night of pure oxygen therapy, things were back on track and the fully painted flying fish plane and its trolley made it down to the venue. After this ordeal, it was clear that good teamwork and a few backup plans were key to making any group project happen. In fact, when our team arrived at the venue to see the other teams still completing their respective crafts, we finally began to relax and work like a well-oiled machine, armed with a new confidence in our capabilities.
Having secured the craft on the barge alongside the ramp that was fabricated for it, the team headed to the Marriott at MovieTowne and retired around midnight. In the morning, the thrills continued as some support members decided to have a leisurely breakfast, and the threat of barebacked Flying Fishermen due to late delivery of T-shirts loomed. Everyone but two of our flying team crew members was now stuck in traffic, including the pilot. We found a willing uncle with a boat who did speedy pickups, while the rest of the team endured five hours of traffic.
As the plane rolled up the ramp, our courageous pilot was finally relaxed after agonising over every detail and safety threat on our crudely built craft. She came splashing down in fine form after our little skit and made it without a scratch. The plane was fine too. We all admired each other that day for making it happen. In roughly three weeks, we had built a plane. Now it was time to kick back and start the fun in high gear. We fully enjoyed every moment of the Red Bull Flugtag experience and will treasure the lasting memories.
Our team would like our sponsors and contributors: Venture Credit Union, Trinituner.com, Atlas Services Ltd, Cariflex (1994) Ltd, Paradise Motorsports TV, KVTV and of course, Zorce!
