Flugtag, an event sponsored by the Red Bull energy beverage, touched down on Piers 45 and 46, at Christopher and Charles Sts., respectively, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Hudson River Park last Sunday. According to Community Affairs Officer Tim Duffy of the Sixth Precinct, Red Bull estimated 35,000 people attended the event at which over a dozen teams of five each launched would-be flying contraptions like pianos off a ramp. The event is more about fun than flying far, and most of the vehicles quickly nosedived into the river. However, there were complaints about noise from the event’s P.A. system and the use of the park’s piers for a weekend-long commercial event. Connell McMenamin, 69, said he heard the noise when he was exiting after a noon church service at St. Veronica’s on Christopher St., and went down to the waterfront to take a look. “I will never buy a can of Red Bull,” he said. “It was unbelievably loud. Is this what they’re going to use the park for?” He added: “The thing that annoyed me most was that all those nice flowers and plants that were planted there were being trampled.” Jim Smith, Community Board 2’s chairperson, said the board was not given a chance to review the event.
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