Have you ever seen a flying hot dog? How about a soaring frying pan? Or a giant toilet paper roll zooming through the air? These wacky aircraft designs were all recent entries in the Red Bull Flugtag (FLOOG-tawg) challenge. Flugtag means “flying day” in German. During this event, teams build homemade, human-powered aircraft. Then they push the creations off a 28-foot-tall (8.5-meter) platform over a body of water. Their goal is to travel farthest in the air!

Most entries are more goofy than airworthy. Many roll off the platform and nose-dive straight into the water! There’s a reason real aircraft aren’t shaped like pigs or shoes. They aren’t aerodynamic. That means their shapes don’t allow air to flow smoothly around them. That’s one of the things that helps a vehicle launch into the sky—and stay there (see The Forces of Flight).

But not all Flugtag entries are flops. Some people take the silly contest seriously! With science on their side, these teams create contraptions that can really fly—if just for a few moments!

Have you ever seen a flying hot dog? How about a soaring frying pan? Or a giant toilet paper roll zooming through the air? These are all wacky aircraft designs. They were recent entries in the Red Bull Flugtag (FLOOG-tawg) challenge. Flugtag means “flying day” in German. Teams enter this event. They build homemade aircraft. These are powered only by people. The team pushes the creations off a 28-foot-tall (8.5-meter) platform. The aircraft soar over a body of water. The goal is to travel farthest in the air!

Most entries are built just for fun. They roll off the platform. Then they nose-dive right into the water! There’s a reason real aircraft aren’t shaped like pigs or shoes. Those shapes aren’t aerodynamic. Air should be able to flow smoothly around aircraft. That’s one of the things that helps an aircraft fly (see The Forces of Flight).

But not all Flugtag entries are flops. Some people take the silly contest seriously! They have science on their side. These teams create crafts that can really fly. But it’s usually for just a few moments!

All Flugtag teams have to follow certain guidelines. Each team needs five members: one pilot, who sits in the craft, and a ground crew of four. There are also criteria, or standards, for the designs. The flying machine and the pilot together must weigh less than 400 pounds (181 kilograms). The craft also must float so it doesn’t sink in the water. And the team must use only their strength to push the craft off the platform. That means no motors, rockets, catapults, or slingshots.

On contest day, teams roll their crafts down the runway. The ground crews run as fast as they can to increase thrust. That’s a force that pushes objects forward. When the crews reach the platform’s edge, they let go and hope their creation doesn’t belly flop in the water!

All Flugtag teams have to follow certain rules. Each team needs five members. One is a pilot, who sits in the craft. The rest are the ground crew. There are also criteria, or standards, for the designs. The aircraft and pilot together must weigh less than 400 pounds (181 kilograms). The craft also must float. That way it doesn’t sink in the water. And the team must use only their strength to push the craft off the platform. That means no motors, rockets, catapults, or slingshots.

Teams roll their crafts down the runway on contest day. The ground crews run as fast as they can. This adds thrust. This force pushes objects forward. The crews reach the platform’s edge. They let go. They hope their creation doesn’t bellyflop in the water!

Because Flugtag aircraft have no motors or other machinery, pilots can control their speed and direction only by shifting their body position. But when you’re piloting a flip-flop or a piece of pizza, you only have so much control! Even the longest Flugtag flights last just a few seconds. The record for the longest flight ever was set in 2013. A team dressed as chickens flew a glider the length of three basketball courts, or 258 feet (79 meters). Their aircraft was in the air for only about 10 seconds!

The designs that perform best tend to look like a typical airplane. They often have a large wing that extends out on both sides. Like an airplane’s wings, this large wing is curved on the top. That shape makes flight possible. It causes the air to move faster over the wing than underneath it. This creates an area of lower air pressure above the wing and higher pressure below. The difference in air pressure creates an upward force called lift. That’s what keeps the aircraft aloft!

Flugtag aircraft have no motors or other machinery. Pilots must shift their body position. It’s the only way to control the aircrafts’ speed and direction. But you have only so much control when piloting a flip-flop or a piece of pizza. Even the longest Flugtag flights last just a few seconds. The record was set in 2013. It’s held by a team dressed as chickens. They flew a glider 258 feet (79 meters). That’s about the length of three basketball courts. The aircraft was in the air for only about 10 seconds!

The designs that perform best usually look like real airplanes. They often have a large wing. It stretches out on both sides. It’s curved on the top like a real airplane wing. This shape makes flight possible. It causes the air to move faster over the wing than under it. This creates an area of lower air pressure above the wing. The pressure is higher below it. The difference in air pressure creates an upward force called lift. That’s what keeps the aircraft aloft!

When it comes to scoring, flying isn’t the only important thing. Teams wear costumes and do dance routines. Judges score the teams based not only on their flight but also on the creativity of their design, costumes, and dance moves.

At the most recent Flugtag event, some teams wore penguin costumes, some waved swords, and one flew a turkey leg! But the entry that won wasn’t a wacky design. It was an airplane-shaped glider that soared 51 feet (16 meters)—the length of 5 Ping-Pong tables! If you were to design a Flugtag aircraft, what would it look like?

Flying isn’t the only important thing when it comes to scoring. Teams wear costumes. They also do dance routines. Judges rank the teams based on their flight. But they also get points for creativity, costumes, and dance moves.

There were some standouts at the most recent Flugtag event. One team wore penguin costumes. Another waved swords. One flew a turkey leg! But the entry that won wasn’t a wacky design. It was an airplane-shaped glider. It soared 51 feet (16 meters). That’s the length of five Ping-Pong tables! If you were to design a Flugtag aircraft, what would it look like?