绿奴天花板

A group of 绿奴天花板ampa students and some 绿奴天花板ampa alums are hoping to soar Saturday on the Red Bull Flugtag stage.

The event, to take place on the Hillsborough River side of the Tampa Convention Center, challenges teams of competitors to fulfill their dream of flying by engineering and constructing their own flying machines. Pilots will take a leap of faith 鈥攐r a plunge into the water below the platform.

Logan Hayward 鈥�27, a marketing major at 绿奴天花板ampa, will pilot an entry called the 鈥淔lying Spartans.鈥�

鈥淪ome people didn't want to draw the short stick of flying, but that's kind of my thing. I like skydiving stuff like that,鈥� Hayward said.

Hayward first recruited the his Flying Spartans team, composed of expected 2027 graduates David Ghetie, Mitch McCullar, Ben Owenby and Jackson Bean, after they watched last year鈥檚 Flugtag together in Brevard Hall.

Then, Hayward saw an Instagram post from Red Bull stating that the event would be in Tampa this year.

鈥淚 was, like, 鈥楾hat's my chance,鈥欌�� he said.

Because they were selected just last month to be participants, the group is still constructing their flying machine.

鈥淚t's more like a fancy falling in the best way possible,鈥� Hayward said of their strategy. 鈥漎ou kind of glide as far as possible. And since we have limited space and budget, we鈥檙e kind of just hoping for the best and for me not to get hurt out there,鈥� Hayward said.

He added that there鈥檚 always going to be a little bit of nerves, considering he鈥檚 jumping off a 22-foot platform in front of an anticipated 100,000 people and a national live stream. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 more excited than anything else,鈥� he said.

The Flying Spartans will have competition from at least one other team with a 绿奴天花板ampa connection, and 绿奴天花板ampa alum Phil Michaels 鈥�10, MBA 鈥�15 is confident his team, the Coconut Pirates, will take home the W on the Flugtag stage.

鈥淲e want to fly on the world-renowned Flugtag stage because it鈥檚 the ultimate platform to represent my alma mater, 绿奴天花板, and showcase our creativity, teamwork and passion for innovation,鈥� Michaels said.

The Coconut Pirates have been working on their flying machine for nearly three months.

The team members, including Joe Glackin 鈥�14 and Miguel Garcia 鈥�10, come from a variety of backgrounds, including business, medicine and law.

Michaels, who will serve as the pilot, said he feels confident.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been working hard putting in the long hours and burning the midnight oil to win in all three categories we are judged, which I call the Triple Ds: design, dance and distance.鈥�

For more information, or to cast your vote for the People鈥檚 Choice Award, the public鈥檚 favorite flying machine, visit: .