September 20, 2003 - Today more then 50,000 spectators lined the Pacific Coast as thirty- two teams of fearless fliers launched home-made flying machines off the Santa Monica Pier. Crafts ranged from a flying ostrich (usually a flightless bird), to a flying squirrel (also an animal that usually doesn't fly) and even Hooters own Hot-Wing One - do we need to say more? The craft that took home the day's wings was When Pigs Fly. The flying porker, which was a combination of wood, foam, fiberglass and whatever else they found around the garage, had an amazing distance of 66 feet. They didn't hit the beach as they had predicted, but they hammed it up for the crowd.
Second place went to West Coast Flying Monkeys, a team made up of high school students from Orange County. "I really do think the Oz team (West Coast Flying Monkeys) was way beyond anything. I would give them my trophy in two seconds," said Elmer Murry of the Red Bull Sluggers, the team that won most creative. Rounding out the day with third place was The Marine Team. "We pulled third place out the air. We are elated. It's great," said Sergeant Clark Howard out of Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA.

Although the day didn't see crafts land in Malibu, the teams and spectators had a great time viewing, cheering and laughing as a variety of talent and creativity swooped off the pier. In the end, all the teams went home having had an amazing experience. "It's not about the money, it's about the recognition," said Elmer Murry, owner of Draft Picks Sports Grill in La Mirada and the pilot of Red Bull Sluggers.