History was made at Red Bull Flugtag Sydney last weekend with Team SAAA (Sports Aircraft Association of Australia) and its ‘Thunderbird’ craft smashing the previous Australian record of 17.8 metres with an epic 20.5 metre flight.
Pilot David Zemel, and crew members David Robbins, John Kneen and Phillipe Bouillet had a lot to prove on the day – the pilot has worked for the airforce for 26 years and is deputy director of aircraft structural integrity at Laverton’s RAAF base. And, Zemel and his team-mates made that experience count as they flew into the record books and off with first place.
In front of a crowd of 30,000 at Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, the team didn’t get the tailwind they were hoping for but they were thrilled with the result nonetheless. Pilot David said, “I really felt the craft react and we got a bit of lift just above the water. We’re really proud of our efforts.
“We were hoping to pay the fine for flying under the Harbour Bridge – unfortunately we didn’t make it quite that far, but we’re still stoked with today’s result.”
Coming in second place was Australia’s favourite outlaw, The Ned Kelly Gang, whose pre-flight shootout impressed the performance judges and who ambushed competitors with a 15.1 metre flight.
It was another Aussie icon in third place – an outdoor ‘dunny’ (toilet) that transformed into a mean flying machine and flew 12.8 metres. This team had it all – an emu emerging from the thunderbox, a reworked version of Waltzing Matilda, and a boomerang to test the wind pressure. The Flugtagnuts and its flying loo were unanimously judged first for creativity, which shows that all the best ideas come from the toilet.
Sydney put on a spectacular day, and an appreciative crowd of more than 30,000 looked on as crews risked it all to take their zany creations to the sky. There were flying anvils, a muffin and a tent, and more than one politician ended up in the drink.
The performance judges included world champion pole vaulter Steve Hooker, Australian TV personality Erica Heynatz, pro skateboarder Corbin Harris, and host Renee Bargh. Providing aviation commentary was Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall.
For more information please visit www.redbullflugtag.com.au
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Red Bull Photofiles
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