Brit teen bags $250,000 in first World Drone Prix A 15-year-old schoolboy from the UK has won a first prize of US$250,000 (£175,000) after besting 31 other pilots at the first World Drone Prix in Dubai. Drone racing track in Dubai Racers, start your rotors Luke Bannister, pilot for the Tornado X-Blades Banni UK, beat home team Dubai Drone Tek into second place, by racing …
Let's think. Pilot, Navigator. Mums (2). Technical fellows (electronics: 2, mechanics, including 3D printer operator, 2). Transport / Logistics folk (2). Umm... Caterers. (2).
So, I can get to 12. Unless they're all under 18, in which case I guess there are a few more mums, but even then that would only bring it to 22.
... with RC helicopters. Obviously collective pitch, blade size at least 325mm (different categories for different blade length). They are much faster and also much more agile - at the expense of being more difficult to control. Negative side - more expensive to buy and maintain, much more difficult to learn, dangerous (there had been fatalities from RC helicopters hitting person).
It would also be more fun with real quadcopters, with people in them. Or hoverboards. Or maybe even quantum-drive hyper pods.
However, this was for remote controlled quadcopter drones.
Do you make similar comments on every sporting event? Football, eh? That would be more fun if contact was allowed. Formula One? Pah, limited engine size? What's that all about?
Huh? I do not think you know what you are talking about. There are already sport events for RC helicopters (as opposed to e.g. "quadcopters with people" or "hoverboards"), just not first person view ones. That's obviously because these were established long before current FPV capabilities for RC became available, and also because drones with FPV are simply easier to fly (hence more flow of interested candidates). FPV on RC helicopters is considered niche, partially because of more focus on aerobatics and also because of safety concerns (line of sight flying is considered safer, which is important for a device capable of decapitating people). Currently such events are focused on aerobatics or precision flying, but there is no racing like this (because it would require FPV rather than LOS flying). Here you can see how this looks like
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"Honestly, no one will agree with me that this kind of a race would be more exciting with larger, more agile, faster, noisier (not to mention dangerous and more difficult to fly) machines??"
Oh, I agree with you but I'm quite mad. And don't forget to throw in a few hand grenades to give the spectators more bang for their buck...
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Well yeah, I suppose 171MPH (or more, but unsuccessful) is faster. Except as I said before, because of lack of FPV on RC helicopter there is no actual track to complete. That's exactly what I was referring to - a track racing event such as this, but for RC helicopters would be really fun. There is no such thing currently.
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Looks to me from the video that there's probably a lot of optimisation that can be done to make a drone particularly suitable for that sort of course, and to implement various 'pilot aids' that would reduce errors.
A bit like Robot Wars - early series are about pilot skill, then people start to figure out the tech that will give them the edge.
I know, because I did it! Our club used to hold an open pylon race every year - racing aircraft around a triangular course. It was open to any R/C aircraft, with a handicap formula based on engine size and weight. Tjhis worked fine for fixed wing, so I thought I'd have a go with a helicopter. Helicopters tended to be heavier for a given engine size, as a big propeller turning slowly (ie: a rotor!) is more efficient than a small prop turning quickly. Thus the handicap formula worked in my favour!
Three aircraft would fly the course together, so at the start, three of us set off down the straight heading for the far pylon. We all arrived pretty much together, but when I performed a "bank and yank" turn around the pylon, the other guys just scattered - terrified of being chopped to bits by the flailing rotors!
I won, but helicopters were banned after that!
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Pete
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