MAAA Wingspan

20 21 WING SPAN NOVEMBER MAY WING SPAN For the first time in 12 years, the Air Show returned to Edinburgh, showcasing a spectacular program of aerial and static displays. In the midst of an impressive array of aircraft stood a big top tent which not only held a buzz of interest from the audience, it buzzed from the sound of racing drones ripping around a track competing for first place. Premier drone racing club Adelaide FPV Racing (AFPVR), was invited to compete as a civilian team against the Army, Navy, Air Force and civilian contractors to the military drone racing teams. Pilots spent the weekend away from their usual humble track at Veale Gardens on the outskirts of the Adelaide CBD to race against new competitors on a new track. Races consisted of four pilots from the different teams, competing to win the race heats and be crowned the Open Champion for that day. On Saturday, AFPVR member and Events Coordinator Peter Kuskoff (call sign: Railgun), was crowned the Open Champion. Henry Corbell (call sign: XTEK) of XTEK Ltd. finished the weekend with the Sunday Open Champion title. “Adelaide has a number of highly skilled and experienced drone racing pilots and the Air Show was not only an opportunity for them to compete against others with similar experience, but to showcase their skills and receive public recognition for their ability,” said Jayme Moreland, Chairman of Adelaide FPV Racing. Drone racing consists of drones that are built and flown by pilots and come in a variety of configurations. Racing drones at the Air Show were typically small with five-inch propellers but also featured presentations between races with “X Class” drones, which are built with 10-12 inch propellers, for a more dynamic drone racing experience. Just like any other competitive racing sport, the drones can be built and tuned to focus on power, endurance or a healthy balance between the two. Considerations need to be made for the weight of components and drone frame, power drain from electronics and an appropriately sized battery to ensure you can complete the track. An individual race heat consists of three laps of the track and can be completed in under two minutes, so there is a science to creating the perfect racing drone. There was a focus on educating the crowd about drone racing and allowing spectators the opportunity to see the drone pilot’s perspective through a set of FPV goggles. Seeing racing drones flying around a track at high speed is impressive on its own but wearing FPV goggles provides a faster and more immersive experience. “The facilitation of the event by the Australian Army Drone Racing team was first-class and showcased how quickly drone racing in Australia has become an engaging sport and a household name. The 2019 Edinburgh Air Show was an invaluable opportunity to promote the drone racing community in Australia,” said Jayme. “The opportunity to engage with the Department of Defence, civilian contractors to the military and other civilian drone racing club members, shows the reach of drone technology and the range of end-users adopting it. “We’d like to thank the team from the Australian Army Drone Racing Team for organising the event and providing the facilities, Timothy Crofts and Rhett Mooney from Australian FPV Association for being MC and live streaming the event, Sean from Custom Quads for supporting AFPVR and keeping us supplied with spare parts and to the team at Model Aerosport South Australia Inc. (MASA) for assisting with promoting Adelaide FPV Racing during the event.” Recordings of the live-streamed racing can be viewed on FPVBits’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube. com/user/RCBitsAU/ STEALTH FIGHTERS, TRANSPORTS AND ACROBATICS MANOEUVRES - THE 2019 EDINBURGH AIR SHOW HAD IT ALL, THRILLING AUDIENCES YOUNG AND OLD ACROSS THE WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER 9-10, 2019. FEBRUARY WING SPAN travel STORY: All the buzz and excitement from the 2019 Edinburgh Air Show “Seeing racing drones flying around a track at high speed is impressive on its own but wearing FPV goggles provides a faster and more immersive experience...” FEBRUARY