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The Flight of the Sock Monkey!

First off, it's semi-well-documented that I have a sock monkey obsession. At the very least, there is photographic evidence:


This is why I totally flipped out when I heard about Team Sock Monkey, who competed in the Red Bull Flugtag in Ottawa over the weekend. I was hanging out with Jen from Eucalan at TNNA (who happens to be one of my clients) and she told me about how her husband and his friends were entering the Red Bull Flugtag with a giant flying sock monkey contraption named Sockrates.

My natural curiousity got the best of me and I asked her if she'd mind asking the guys a few questions on my behalf for my blog. Below are their answers and some photos from the event courtesy of their Facebook page, be sure to check it out!


Me: I’m guessing no one on your team had ever designed a giant flying sock monkey. What was the process like from conception to reality?

Team Sock Monkey (TSM): We started with a stuffed sock monkey that we thought was pretty funny and then drew out a sketch of a monkey on a frame. Red Bull had given us specs that we had to stick with so we adjusted the sock monkey drawing to fit those dimensions. It came together quite smoothly and the final design looks very close to our original design.

Me: How did your team decide who would be piloting Sockrates at the Flugtag?

TSM: At 5'10" and 198 lbs, Ken is the lightest of the team and the whole contraption must weigh under 400 lbs. Actually the guy who decided to get the team together had to be pilot by default since it was his crazy idea.

Me: Tell us about the big day! 

TSM: We got solid 9's from every judge - flew 39' and we're standing solid! Everyone is good and Pilot Ken didn't get hurt!. We scored 5th overall out of 30 teams and are absolutely thrilled!

(You can watch the video here on Facebook.)

Me: What will happen to Sockrates now that the Flugtag is over?

TSM: We rescued Socrates' head and he lives to see another day!


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