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Buses, Trolleys, Flying Machines Gear Up For Tampa Flugtag

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

Updated: 07/17/2008 11:33 am

TAMPA - By air and/or by sea.

Already this year, Gasparilla has swamped downtown Tampa with a seaborne invasion and thousands have flocked to MacDill Air Force Base for the crowd-pleasing AirFest.

On Saturday, air and sea assaults will combine with a splash at the Tampa Convention Center for Flugtag, German for "flying day," and tens of thousands are expected to flood the downtown area to watch homemade flying machines take off from a raised platform and splash into the water.

Getting there could be an issue, with roads and bridges closed to accommodate spectators and channels blocked to boat traffic.

Tampa police say Bayshore Boulevard will be closed from Swann Avenue to Platt Street from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday. The Platt Street bridge will be reduced to one lane leading to downtown.

Boats will not be allowed in the area where aircraft will fall, but all the channels will remain open, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson. "There are anchorage areas around the area," including spots for large vessels, he said.

Information cards -- showing boaters where they can get the best views -- will be handed out at most local marinas.

Information also will be broadcast on VHF marine channel 16, he said.

For the land lubbers, one alternative is public transportation. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority will have shuttles and streetcars available to carry people to and from the convention center all day Saturday.

HART's Web site states that the Green Line shuttle will run from 10 a.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday. Spectators can park free on the streets north of Kennedy Boulevard and catch the Green Line on Ashley Drive.

Spectators also can park in Ybor City and board the TECO Line Streetcar System to downtown, which will take them close to the convention center.

Streetcar hours will be from 9 a.m. Saturday through 2 a.m. Sunday.

Estimates on attendance range from 30,000 to 60,000, but in Austin, Texas, in 2007, 85,000 people showed up.

Tampa Convention Center officials say 39 teams have signed up to defy gravity. Many are from the Bay area and Florida, but some hail from as far away as New England.

"This is a huge thing," said Travis Clayton, a spokesman for the convention center.

"There are three Flugtags a year in this country," he said. "To have one in Tampa says something about Tampa. We're excited to have this event come to town."

He said the launch pad will be visible from several vantage points, and seating will be provided accordingly.

His main tip to eventgoers: "Show up early."

Flying machines will launch from a deck built 30 feet above the water in front of the city park at the Tampa Convention Center.

Judges will use three factors to pick winners: distance flown, creativity of design and showmanship. The top prize is a pilot course. Second place earns skydiving lessons. The third-place team gets a shot at a paragliding class.

Flugtag is sponsored by Red Bull and first took off in Vienna, Austria, in 1991. Since then, there have been competitions in more than 30 countries.

The distance record is 195 feet, set in 2000 in Austria. Saturday's event will be a first for Tampa -- and the first this year in the U.S.

The Other U.S. events this year will be in Portland, Ore., and Chicago.

There's no charge to watch, and the first craft is scheduled for launch at 1 p.m.

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