Red Bull Flugtag
Thunderstruck Wins Red Bull Flugtag in Cape Town
43 Teams, 100 000+ Spectators, and One Unforgettable Flight Into the V&A Waterfront
After a 13-year hiatus, Red Bull Flugtag crash-landed back into Cape Town yesterday as 43 brave (some might say delusional) teams launched themselves from Jetty 1 at the V&A Waterfront, armed with nothing but home-made flying machines, questionable physics, and the kind of confidence that can only come from months of saying, "Yeah, this'll totally work."
What the day lacked in sustained flight, it made up for in sheer spectacle, creativity, and the delightful South African ability to turn disaster into entertainment. From townships to boardrooms, university labs to family garages, the Rainbow Nation showed up with contraptions that ranged from "impressively engineered" to "definitely built on the morning of the event."
Spectacular flight at Red Bull Flugtag Cape Town 2025
© Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool
Daring flight attempt at Red Bull Flugtag Cape Town 2025
© Nick Muzik / Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Flugtag soars into splashdown in Cape Town 2025
© Nick Muzik / Red Bull Content Pool
Team Thunderstruck soars at Red Bull Flugtag Cape Town 2025
© Tyrone Bradley / Red Bull Content Pool
A Day Written in Water
The 43 daring teams threw themselves off a nine-metre platform, hoping to impress a panel of judges that represented South Africa's vibrant creative community. B-girl Courtnaé Paul, Red Bull athlete and spinner Sam Sam, Ling Ling, Okay Wasabi, and Red Bull athlete and hockey player Tati Zulu scored teams according to distance, creativity, and sportsmanship – though by the end of the day, simply having the courage to run off the edge might have been worth bonus points.
Every participant got wet. No one walked away with regrets. And the crowd was left exhilarated by the fearless spirit on display.
Victory Belongs to the Bold (and the Aerodynamic)
When the splashes settled and the scores were tallied, it was Thunderstruck who lived up to their AC/DC-inspired name, soaring an impressive 19 metres before meeting their inevitable splashdown. Their victory was more than just distance – it was vindication for a team that refused to give up on their Flugtag dreams.
"Two of our team members took part in the 2012 Red Bull Flugtag, and we had such a blast that we knew we had to come back, this time with a bigger team," revealed pilot Scott Ternant, still dripping from his record-setting flight. "We really wanted to be part of the action again. Winning the event feels incredible. Red Bull is such an iconic global brand, and it's truly amazing to come out on top."
The Thunderstruck team – a crew of aviation professionals including Captain Angus Money and Chief Engineer Martin Venn – had come prepared. Their promise to build "an aeroplane that's going to be like a lightning bolt in the sky" and create "an actual tested, aerodynamic flying machine" proved to be more than just pre-event bravado. With a support team of about 30 people helping with design, construction, choreography, and costumes, they transformed months of preparation into 19 glorious metres of flight.
A Rainbow of Creativity Takes Flight (Briefly)
While Thunderstruck claimed the distance crown, the day belonged to all 43 teams who dared to dream the impossible dream. The diversity of entries reflected South Africa's creative spirit in all its chaotic glory.
The Extras, a family-connected team from Mitchell's Plain, Delft, Strandfontein, and Edgemead, brought their promise to life with a machine inspired by local rapper Youngster CPT's lyric about travelling "Wynberg to London in a quantum." Their team motto – "If it looks aerodynamic, it probably isn't, but it'll look cool going down" – proved prophetically accurate as they delivered spectacular style points on their descent.
Koppie Kopters, the multinational team of web developers featuring South Africans, Canadians, and Kenyans, prioritised spectacle over distance and delivered exactly what they promised. For team member Lynch, experiencing Cape Town for the first time via a nine-metre plunge into the Atlantic was presumably not what he'd envisioned, but certainly memorable.
FlySafair's young engineering team brought professional aviation expertise to the platform with their "very pink, very blue" creation complete with Springbok elements. All under 26 and "keen on making something fly," they proved that sometimes the best way to honour your profession is to reimagine it with cardboard and duct tape.
The Spirit of South African Ingenuity
Crowds gather for Red Bull Flugtag at Cape Town waterfront
© Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool
The team themes read like a love letter to South African culture. Air Wors and Wors Case Scenario celebrated the nation's beloved boerewors. Bunny Chowers paid tribute to Durban's iconic bunny chow. Hakuna Matuktuk merged Disney magic with Cape Town's tuk-tuk culture, whilst Quantum Mechanics brought the minibus taxi experience to new heights (albeit briefly).
From Da Vinci's Dream to Fishin Impossible, from The Grinches to Rassies Dassies, each team name told a story. And when 43 of those stories collided with gravity at the V&A Waterfront, the result was pure South African magic – equal parts ambition, humour, and spectacular failure.