by ARP » Sun Jan 22, 2017 7:14 am
From Wikipedia:- "Anyone is eligible to compete in the Flugtag event. To participate, each team must submit an application and their contraption must meet the criteria set forth by Red Bull. The criteria vary with location. In the USA each flying machine must have a maximum wingspan of 30 feet (9.1 m) and a maximum weight (including pilot) of 450 pounds (200 kg). In Australian Flugtags the wingspan is limited to 8 metres (26 ft) and the weight (not including pilot) to 180 kilograms (400 lb).[3] The craft must be powered by muscle, gravity, and imagination. Because the aircraft will ultimately end up in the water, it must be unsinkable and constructed entirely of environmentally friendly materials. The aircraft may not have any loose parts and advertising space is limited to 1-square-foot (930 cm2).[2]
Teams that enter the competition are judged according to three criteria: distance, creativity, and showmanship"
If the criteria, for the "contraption", are different around the world then a world record claim is a nonsense. The whole purpose of the event is to promote Red Bull and the flying is incidental to that. A number of different launching aids, such as rolling high platforms, catapult bungees, etcetera would also negate any claims to a record so, again, it is a nonsense.
One rule they seem to enforce is the "machine" cannot be taken away from the event and is destroyed. So much for the promotion of flight when all the work put in, by the teams, comes to nothing afterwards !