After a 13-year hiatus, Red Bull Flugtag crash-landed back into Cape Town this past weekend as 43 brave wannabe aviators launched themselves from Jetty 1 at the V&A Waterfront.
Red Bull Flugtag Cape Town 2025 saw participants armed with nothing but home-made flying machines and questionable physics try to take their crafts to the skies.
The 43 daring teams threw themselves off a nine-metre platform, hoping to impress a panel of judges and fly further than their competitors.
Photographer Michel Bega was there to document the lunacy.
Team Wing Nuts make their attempt at this year’s event. In 2012 they set the South African record at 17.09 metres. Picture: Michel BegaWater crew collect parts of a home-made flying craft, including the head of a great white shark. Each aircraft must be unsinkable and built from eco-friendly materials. Lifeguards, medics, and security teams are stationed across the event area to ensure a safety for all. Picture: Michel BegaThe judging panel included B-girl Courtnae Paul, Red Bull athlete and spinner Sam Sam, Ling Ling, Okay Wasabi, and Red Bull athlete and hockey player Tati Zulu, who all scored teams according to distance, creativity, and sportsmanship. Picture: Michel BegaSpectators crowd the V&A Waterfront to catch a glimpse of the action. The 2012 Cape Town edition of Flugtag broke world attendance records with 220 000 people. Picture: Michel BegaEach team has four members: one fearless pilot and three ground crew who push the craft off the ramp. Picture: Michel BegaPat Davidson, five-time South African aerobatics champion and 2025 Air Race X World Champion, performs a display during the Red Bull Flugtag event. “It’s aviation, creativity, and chaos all rolled into one,” said Davidson on the event. Picture: Michel BegaA team stands in the queue as they prepare for take-off. Picture: Michel BegaTeam names included such creative South African-isms as Air Wors, Wors Case Scenario, Bunny Chowers, Hakuna Matuktuk, Quantum Mechanics and Rassies Dassies, among others. Picture: Michel BegaHere a team from Johannesburg uses a trolley as the cockpit of their flying craft. The very first Flugtag hosted in South Africa took place in Benoni in 2002, attacting 55 000 spectators. Picture: Michel BegaSince debuting in Vienna, Austria (1992), Red Bull Flugtag has entertained over nine million fans across more than 50 countries. Picture: Michel BegaTeam Thunderstruck celebrate their win on the ramp, after flying their craft an impressive 19 metres before meeting their inevitable splashdown. The crew is made up of aviation professionals, including Captain Angus Money and Chief Engineer Martin Venn. Picture: Michel Bega
