Parkersburg – A team of five friends from West Virginia are flying high in the name of an awesome cause. They were selected as the only team from West Virginia to compete in the Red Bull Flugtag. This international flight competition will take place in Pittsburgh on Aug. 5, where they will attempt to break the event’s distance record of 258 feet.

The team, known as Free Bird Yeah!, is using this platform as an opportunity to partner with the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. They will be raising funds for their aircraft build with a GoFundMe account, by taking pledges for every inch their aircraft flies, and by organizing public events. All additional funds will be donated to the Children’s Homes Society of West Virginia.

The team consists of Evan Stair, Jared Wittekind, Neil Kinnett, Cavin Cisler and Kyle Shockey. The Red Bull Flugtag will be the highlight of the annual Pittsburgh Regatta, with an anticipated crowd of 100,000 people. The flight competition begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. For more information on the team check them out on Facebook, and on the official Red Bull Flugtag website.

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Red Bull Flugtag

(German: flight day, airshow) is an event organized by Red Bull in which competitors attempt to fly home-made, human-powered flying machines, size-limited to around 33 feet, weight-limited to approximately 330 pounds. The flying machines are usually launched off a pier about 30 feet high into the sea or body of water. Most competitors enter for the entertainment value, and the flying machines rarely fly at all.