Red Bull Flugtag: an awesome sponsorship opportunity for the world's airframers

Red Bull Flugtag is coming to Singapore, with the event taking place on 28 October at Sentosa's Siloso Beach. Given that Flightglobal covers all the world's major air shows and aviation milestones, writing about people who build bizarre flying contraptions and run them into the sea is clearly a good fit.

Among the fixed wing aircraft we cover regularly, the Lockheed Martin F-35B would be the ideal candidate to win the event given its ability to take off vertically. Key challenges could include the fact that its Rolls Royce lift fan and swivelling thrust nozzle would blow the launch pad to shreds -  this would be fun to watch, though. The pad would also be incapable of supporting the aircraft's weight, but I'm sure something could be worked out with Red Bull.

Another challenge could be getting an actual aircraft. I was briefly inclined to write the F-35 programme office a letter asking, in total seriousness, for them to consider a loaner. It would be great public relations in Singapore, which is rumored to be interested in the F-35B. The invetibly dry wording of their rejection would have been amusing, no doubt.

Then I had an inspiration: Flugtag could represent an opportunity for the world's airframers to impose some measure of humility on us aviation journalists. 

How often have highly-skilled, richly-educated aircraft designers and engineers grimaced at the criticism trade journalists and bloggers casually heap upon development programmes? It is far easier to type phrases such as "troubled programme", "white elepnant," and "obsolescent design" than it is to actually struggle with the engineering and technical challenges involved in creating an aircraft.

I propose that the world's big airframers team up to sponsor a team of aviation journalists and bloggers to see how well we do producing a Flugtag winner. The skies of Singapore await. 

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