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By Mail Foreign Service
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It looks like the ultimate in whacky races.
Dressed in extravagant costumes and in the cockpit of even more eccentric aircraft, these inventors attempt to take off.
But without an onboard motor, they haven't got much chance.
Instead, the competitors plummet down into a river in Kiev, Ukraine, in the latest leg of the Red Bull Flugtag competition.
The contest, dreamed up by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, involves participants being pushed off a springboard mounted six metres above the water.
Judges then rate who has 'flown' furthest - but are also looking out for creativity and showmanship.
As most contestants simply plummeted straight off the springboard into the water, this is probably just as well.
The winner was competing for a trip to Lisbon, Portugal for the 'Red Bull Air Race.'
The second place winners get a trip to the Angar-7 aviation museum in Austria, presumably to brush up on their technique for next time. Third place gets a parachute jump for the team.
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