Crazy machines will be used in the Tampa Red Bull competition

One of the strangest spectacles in aviation history returns to Tampa for the first time in more than a decade on Saturday (Nov. 9) when the Red Bull Flugtag competition captures the imagination of crazy inventors who dare to create outlandish aerial feats.

The competition is expected to attract more than 100,000 spectators to the shores of the Hillsborough River. There, adventure seekers will launch unique airships from a 27-foot-long flight deck built at the Tampa Convention Center.

Flugtag brings aircraft onto the market that are powered solely by human power and launched from the elevated platform. They compete to see who can fly the furthest before landing in the water.

This is the first return of Red Bull Flugtag since 2011. Spectators have free entry. Activities begin at noon and the first plane will take off at 1 p.m. from the convention center, 333 S. Franklin St., Tampa.

“We can’t wait to watch these brave pilots take flight, or rather, take the plunge, right in front of the Tampa Convention Center,” Mayor Jane Castor said in announcing the event.

At the last competition in Tampa, a giant chicken landed face first in the water. A fire truck also took a nosedive and a red and white mushroom got some air but didn't make it far. Willy Wonka’s “Amazing Flying Flugtag Adventure” won the day.

A jury will evaluate participants based on the distance covered, the creativity of their craft and the effectiveness of their 30-second skit before the start.