The official PALFINGER crew for the Red Bull Flugtag
The PALFINGER jury of experts has voted – and they’ve decided on the official PALFINGER crew for the Red Bull Flugtag on 26 September. All team members work for PALFINGER MARINE. What are their areas of expertise and what are they responsible for during the construction of the flying machine? Find out in their video introductions!
Would you like to learn more about the crew? For instance: What does innovation mean to David, Lukas, Sebastian, and Walter? They told us in their profiles, and they also shared which famous person they would like to sit next to on an airplane.
By the way: There were so many creative and innovative ideas among the submissions – our internal jury of experts really had a hard time deciding.
Fish and Jibs – the PALFINGER team at the Red Bull Flugtag
Speaking of ideas: It was the total package, of course, but also and especially the unique idea that impressed the jury and had them select the "Fish and Jibs" team as the official PALFINGER crew. The answer to the question of what the term "jib" means can be found in PALFINGER's product range:
The Fly-Jib is a special PALFINGER application that increases maximum reach and flexibility.
Learn more about the PALFINGER products used at the Red Bull Flugtag!
Flying hai! – the idea for the flying machine
When it comes to the idea for their flying machine, the team was inspired by a well-known marine animal: the shark. With its slender, streamlined body and highly sensitive sensory organs, it is far superior to many opponents in the water. No wonder that the fish with its impressive characteristics serves as a role model for the team. After all, the team members work with a PALFINGER product every day whose characteristics closely resemble those of a shark.
We’re talking about the PALFINGER marine crane, which stands for an optimum combination of performance and economy. With its slim, strong design, high precision, and precise sensors and controls, the crane is superior to its competitors – which proves its resemblance to a shark, don’t you think?
The team's goal is to combine the best features and capabilities of the king of the ocean with those of the new ruler of the PALFINGER MARINE kingdom in their flying machine – and then, take off with it at the Red Bull Flugtag!
The master (flight) plan
Red Bull Flugtag is a completely new challenge, which the PALFINGER crew takes on courageously and full of anticipation. The PALFINGER jury of experts found the idea for the flying machine both creative and impressive and chose the four specialists from the PALFINGER MARINE division as the official crew.
Use of materials 2.0
If you combine the words new and great, you get the word innovative. And that’s exactly the term that best describes the materials used during the construction phase. True to the motto "make something new from something old, and make it sustainable and airworthy", components made of wood and cotton are used for the flying machine.
The crew also demonstrated special creativity in their choice of glue: Flour and water are mixed into a paste that makes the components stick together and ensures stability.
Just like the flying shark, the performance at the Red Bull Flugtag is still "under construction". But it will definitely be a "hailight" (Hai = Engl. shark) – that’s for sure.
The team’s secret of success: There is no secret.
The team is as open as the ocean when it comes to the question of its secret weapon for the Red Bull Flugtag:
"Instead of secret weapons or hidden tricks, we chose to rely on a harmonious overall concept: to create a fascinating flying machine and to come up with an impressive performance that will be remembered by the jury and the audience for a long time to come – that’s our goal!" – David Roither, Calculation Engineer
Next Steps: giving the shark wings
Does this master (flight) plan sound promising? Most definitely! Keep an eye on the Flight Magazine – we’ll soon reveal how the flying machine takes shape and how the team gives its shark its wings …