A group of area residents will be launching a black glider off of a 30-foot ramp to warn of the impending zombie apocalypse over the Delaware River on Saturday, Sept. 15 as part of the Red Bull Flugtag Philadelphia.
Flugtag is German for “flying day.”
Greg Wright, team captain, “supreme zombie killer” and Mt. Laurel resident, explained that his team decided to focus on zombies due to the recent attacks permeating the news.
“We are on a mission to eradicate the zombie scourge that has been in the news so much recently. Or just drop a big model airplane in the Delaware River and have some fun,” said Wright, adding, “They (zombies) are topical, and with the recent reports of some real life zombie attacks, we felt it would be relevant to help bring awareness to the impending zombie apocalypse.”
This is the five members’ first involvement in the challenge and they will be in full zombie garb the day of the challenge.
According to a release, the Red Bull Flugtag originated in Vienna, Austria, in 1991.
The record for the farthest flight of a craft, 229 feet, was recently set in June in Mainz, Germany.
The crafts are required to be less than 30-feet wide and, including the driver’s weight, no more than 450 lbs.
The Philadelphia event, featuring 34 teams, will be free and open to the public with the gates opening at 11 a.m. and the first launch at 1 p.m. Remote viewing will be held at Penn’s Landing.
In the past, more than 300,000 people have attended a single event and 70,000 came out for the 2010 Philly date.
Teams are judged on distance, creativity and showmanship.
“The application process was fairly easy,” he said. “I did have to produce a one-minute video, which was probably the most time-consuming, but not difficult by any means.”
The 42-year-old’s official team name is the “Stealth Bombing Zombie Killers.”
Other team members are John Peirson, 42, also of Mt. Laurel; Carl Stagg, 33, of Medford; Frank Criniti, 44, of Washington Twp.; and Brian “Stylez” Keating, 34, of Delaware County, Pa.
Their aircraft will be based on a B-2 Spirit, Stealth Bomber, which Wright called “a big black flying wing glider.”
“We have several build days scheduled, and are progressing nicely,” he said. “We are excited and have a few events planned for our fans to come out and show support.”
On Thursday, Sept. 13 at 9 p.m., the members will be at the Village Pub, where some of the members are employed, in Swedesboro for a pre-launch meet and greet.
“We are just a bunch of guys that don’t take ourselves to seriously, trying to promote our Pub, and make some friends in the process,” he said. “We are excited that we were chosen, and hope we get to end the zombie problem with our historic flight.”
More Information
The Red Bull Flugtag Philadelphia event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 15 with the first craft launching into the Delaware River at 1 p.m.
A remote viewing will be held at Penn’s Landing.
Learn more about the flugtag by visiting www.redbullflugtagusa.com. Click on the “Philly” tab on the right.
Follow Red Bull Philly’s Twitter at https://twitter.com/@redbullPHILLY.
