Twenty-seven teams from across the U.S. gathered Saturday, June 23, in Nashville to launch their homemade human-powered flying machines off the end of a 30-foot high ramp on the Cumberland River at the Red Bull “Flugtag,” meaning “Flying Day” in German. Murray State University graduates and teammates Brandon Vincent, Brody Vincent and Luke Simmons took first place with their flying machine Rocky Top Rocket; a 30-foot flying banjo. MSU grad Ashley Rager helped assemble the Rocky Top Rocket and produced the team training video. Rocky Top Rocket set a new North American record by flying 155 feet at Nashville ’s Riverfront Park in front of 80,000 spectators.

“The event was unbelievable,” said Rocky Top Rocket pilot Brandon Vincent. He and brothers Brody and Blake – known as the “Greasy Brothers”, along with teammates Brad Moore and Simmons, were surprised at how far their craft flew. “We never would have thought we’d break the North American record.”

Brandon Vincent graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications systems management (TSM) and in 2005 received his MBA, Brody Vincent graduated in 2005 with a bachelor of fine arts degree, Simmons received his bachelor of science degree in TSM in 2003 and Rager received her bachelor of science degree in communication disorders in 2003.

Brody Vincent discovered the event through a Nashville television advertisement. From the day they discovered Flugtag till the Nashville event, Rocky Top Rocket was completed in two months. “We worked nights, weekends, and any extra time we had,” said Brandon Vincent.

The Graham, Ky. team was selected from 300 applicants across the U.S. to compete with 27 other teams for the Nashville Flugtag. These MSU grads have been bombarded with media attention from across the country, including segments on CNN and features in the Nashville Tennessean.

The first Red Bull Flugtag was held in Vienna , Austria in 1991. Since then, more than 35 Flugtags have taken place around the world. The previous North American record was set last year in Baltimore with 81 feet. The current world record is 195 feet set at Flugtag 2000 in Austria .

To see photos and a replay of Rocky Top Rocket’s winning flight, visit www.redbullflugtagusa.com and www.greasybrothers.com.