After months of costume making, skit practicing, building and decorating their craft, Honolulu-based team Aloha Stadium put their hard work to the ultimate test as they attempted human-powered flight at “Red Bull Flugtag” in Long Beach, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 21. (Courtesy Red Bull)
BY STEVEN MARK / smark@staradvertiser.com
It was short but sweet. Most importantly, it wasn’t a disaster.
The doomed-from-takeoff flight of the Wawamalu lasted about one second and went about 15 feet at “Red Bull Flugtag,” a contest for handmade, human-powered flight that is part competition, part chutzpah and all fun.
The canoe-like Wawamalu was Hawaii’s entry in the Sept. 21 contest in Long Beach, Calif., one of five cities that held contests that day. The craft was built and manned by a group of surfers known collectively as Aloha Stadium, a monicker that refers to the good time they always seem to be having.
To the patriotic crooning of Israel Kamakawiwoole, Aloha Stadium members Erik “Beats” Beattie, Dick Chan, Chris Tseu and Kekoa Eskaran did a brief war dance on the 30-foot-high runway before getting a nod of approval from pilot Tak Tanabe, who was dressed as Kamehameha the Great. They then pushed the twin-hulled craft, with Tanabe crouching to ease the impact, off the platform, jumping off themselves a few seconds later to the cheers of the crowd.
Surprisingly, the Wawamalu, named for a stretch of beach where the Aloha Stadium guys hang out, stayed somewhat level as it fell to the water and remained largely intact after landing upright. Many “Flugtag” aircraft plummet straight down into the water, collapsing in the process. In a video, a female commentator can be heard calling it “really impressive.”
The performance still wasn’t good enough to win any prizes. The winner was a San Francisco team called the Chicken Whisperers, whose hang-glider-like craft flew to a world record distance of 258 feet. They did have some advantages over the Hawaii team, since the team comprised aerospace and mechanical engineers, and they were able to test-fly their craft.