CHICAGO — A year after Red Bull's Flugtag Chicago event was canceled due to weather, the competition was off to an ominous start with a more than two-hour delay Saturday.
Crowds gathered at the lakefront at Burnham Park, 3901 S. Lake Shore Drive, hoping to watch human-powered flying machines fly off of a runway into Lake Michigan.
But "unsafe swells" in the water kept fans waiting more than two hours after the event's scheduled 1 p.m. start time.
The event was canceled last year at North Avenue Beach in Lincoln Park due to "marine conditions," including waves possibly measuring 4- to 7-feet high, the Tribune reported.
The competition judges home-made flying machines on distance, creativity and showmanship as they plunge from a 30-foot-high launching ramp into the waters below.
The self-constructed flying machines are limited to a 28-foot wingspan and a weight of 400 pounds and must have a "fearless pilot" aboard for the take-off.
The contraptions starting taking off about 3:30 p.m., according to Red Bull Chicago.
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