Red Bull says it gives you wings, but does it really? | Flugtag Canada 2022

It's a sunny but chilly September morning, as eager Torontonians pour into Ontario Place for Red Bull's Flugtag Canada 2022.

Flugtag?

Yes, flugtag!

It means "flight day" and is pronounced FLOOG-TOG (with an optional German accent). It is an event organized by Red Bull in dozens of cities around the world every year.

On this crispy Fall day, thousands of Torontonians are gathered in bunny hugs (i mean, hoodies) to watch teams go head-to-head in a hilarious competition where home-made human-powered "flying" machines are launched from 30ft in the air and... hopefully flying, soaring or gliding for a bit... before crashing into the cold Lake Ontario waters below.

SPOILER: There wasn't a whole lot of flying going on here.

"The louder you cheer, the crazier the crashes," said the announcer.

While the event is all fun and games, the organizers do take the safety of participants seriously. After each flight inevitably crashes into the water, staff on jet skis and boats scoop them from the water and bring them to shore.

Special shout out to team Mithai Boys for their jalebi-shaped flying saucer aptly named Jalebi Baby. As an avid jalebi enthusiast myself, I was rooting for them. Even though their "flying" jalebi didn't soar through the air, they managed to win our hearts nonetheless.

These engineering students from the University of Toronto had done their homework and came prepared for the post-competition interview. When asked "what went wrong there?" the team captain replied "iA boys played well". It's hard to say how many people got the reference, but I almost spit out my Red Bull. It was a throwback to when cricketer, Inzamam-ul-Haq said those words, almost 20 years ago.

Well played boys. Well played, indeed.

Cmdr. Chris Hadfield, the beloved Canadian astronaut who famously sang David Bowie's Space Oddity on the International Space Station, was judging this competition of flying machines. How appropriate! There were other judges too, but I couldn't tell you who they were.

After watching all 26 teams fail to take flight, I'm not gonna lie, I'm starting to doubt whether Red Bull really gives you wings.