The latest and most popular ambassador to FAU is not the Fighting Owl, not President Frank Brogan, not even the Blue Wave. It’s Homer Simpson.
Indeed, as thirty-five thousand people gathered around Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami last weekend, a group of intrepid FAU students plunged a king-sized Homer, beer in hand, into the sparkling waters of Biscayne Bay as part of Red Bull’s Flugtag event.
“We saw a Flugtag commercial on TV one night, and then The Simpsons came on right after it,” says team captain Jeff Diamond. “We put two-and-two together and came up with a plane shaped like Homer.”
Red Bull, the Austrian high-energy drink “that gives you wings,” sponsored this event where thirty teams from across the state participated in an attempt to make human-powered flying machines actually fly.
Pronounced FLOOG-TOG, Flugtag means “flying day” in the German language. But it is not the usual aircraft that makes it into the sky here. At this event, one of the prerequisites is lots of creativity and imagination, which resulted in aircraft in the shape of everything from a skiing camel, flying coffin, towering penguin and even a birth-giving cow.
FAU made its presence felt, thanks to the participation of a team of FAU members of Student Government and Phi Kappa Alpha. Jeff Diamond, pilot Mike Kayne and crewmembers Brian Bowler, Brandon Flemming and Andrew Kroll all participated in the competition as part of the team they call “Going to Moe’s” in honor of that celebrated donut-loving, beer-drinking TV character.
“We’re all friends,” says Diamond. “Most of us got to know each other in a fraternity, and two of us play music at pubs and bars in Boca, so you can guess that we’re not particularly shy.”
Shyness was definitely not part of their routine as they stepped on to the flying ramp fully dressed in Springfield gear as the popular TV characters of the Simpson family.
“Homer Simpson is one of the most famous American characters, it was a great idea to bring him to life in such a fun way,” says Zack Crockett, running back for the Oakland Raiders and judge of the event.
The towering Homer Simpson replica was built out of various construction materials, including PVC pipe and duct tape. His face was realistically painted by an artist per the team’s request, including his well-known bulging eyeballs.
Enthusiastically welcomed by the frenzied crowd, the gigantic Homer made its way in preparation for the flight to the edge of a 24-foot ramp, with a tall mug of bubbly beer in his hand and FAU written all across his leg.
“We’ve read that the Simpsons are the eleventh most-recognized icons in the world,” says Diamond. “So we figured there would be a lot of fans cheering for us in Miami.”
And Miami cheered indeed. Spectators went crazy at the anticipated moment of seeing Homer fly with open arms into the sky. Instead, Homer performed more of an Olympic dive into the waters of Biscayne Bay. “It was incredible seeing Homer take a nose dive like that,” says Crockett.
The competition awarded prizes, among them a pilot’s training course, paragliding and skydiving lessons to the winners. Although FAU’s Homer was not among them, its creators still felt rewarded in other ways.
“I think we did great,” says Diamond. “I’m a little upset we didn’t win anything but it’s all good; it was still one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”
“Going to Moe’s” did not go home empty-handed, however. Instead of beer, Homer and his teammates took home about ten cases of Red Bull drinks and the hope of being able to participate again in the future.
In the end, more than a competition, Red Bull’s Flugtag was a fun-filled event that allowed contestants and spectators alike the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of creativity and a tremendous sense of adventure. “Homer did a great job,” says Crockett. “His team was great, they obviously had a lot of fun, and that’s what this is all about.”
For more information on Red Bull Flugtag visit: http://www.redbullflugt agmiami.com
