THE loud and incessant buzzing irritates my ears, making me feel uncomfortable. But not as uncomfortable as the tummy churning, acrobatic aerial loops that I have to make before zipping past low bars and zooming through tight tunnels. Each turn I take has to be precise and sharp. Every dip and acceleration I make has to be calculated. And while it all feels very real, just like I’m in the cockpit of a life-sized fighter jet right out of Top Gun, the headphones I have on and the flat screen of my tablet jolt me back to reality. It’s just a YouTube video.
What I’d just seen are bird’s eye view footages captured by a camera attached to a minute racing drone weighing no more than 400 grammes. This particular drone was “piloted” by 11-year-old Wanraya Wannapong from Thailand, who goes by the handle MILK. She’s the reigning champion in the women’s category at the recent FAI World Drone Racing Championship held in China.
Suddenly, a voice to my right startles me from my rapt viewing of the drone’s flight patterns in the video. I’d almost forgotten that I’m actually at an interview session with three of our country’s best racing drone pilots in a cosy meeting room at DOJO KL. The trio made their global debut at the FAI World Drone Racing Championship where they got the chance to witness Wanraya’s mastery first hand.
“It’s impressive right? She’s only 11!” enthuses the petite Saw Zhi Ying, affectionately known as JinnyGurl when she’s on the circuit. Nodding enthusiastically, Amir Haziq Saiful, a rising star in the local drone racing community, chips in: “She’s just one among many out there who’s so good on the circuit.”
“Jangan risau… (don’t worry) I’m sure with lots of practice and determination both of you pun boleh sampai tahap tu (can also reach that level),” says Shah Johan, the coach for the young pilots and an established veteran in the drone racing field in the country.
START OF SOMETHING NEW
FPV (First Person View) drone racing is currently categorised as an extreme sport. Participants are required to control “drones” (either a small radio-controlled aircraft or a quadcopter) equipped with cameras while wearing head-mounted displays that show the live stream feed from the drone. The objective of the competition is similar to that of a full sized air race, where pilots are set to complete a fixed course as fast as they can.
In addition, this sport is globally regulated by the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale), the European governing body for air sports that’s recognised by the International Olympic Committee. They coordinate the organisation of the FAI Drone Racing World Cup and the FAI World Drone Racing Championship, both of which are known to host the best drone pilots in the world.
“This sport baru meletup kira-kira lima atau enam tahun lepas (This sport only began to gain popularity about five to six years ago). But in Malaysia, it wasn’t much of a thing until maybe about two or three years ago,” reveals Shah, who began his journey in flying and building drones since 2013.
Continuing he says: “Many of us, the pioneers in this sport, began by just flying dicelah-celah pokok atau buildings (between trees and buildings). We challenge ourselves by getting into tight spaces and coming out unharmed. But after a while, when you’ve learnt all the tricks in the book, it becomes boring. So, we started racing with each other.”
By 2015, official drone racing competitions began to be held around the country with the first being in University Malaya (UM), KL. This sparked a renewed interest among drone hobbyists in the country. However, drone racing in itself isn’t actually the main crowd puller; it’s more the dedication of building your own drone and then being able to pilot it in a race successfully.
“We have to build our own drones because the parts come separately. There isn’t a ready fixed one which you can buy. And building it is not that different from building a Tamiya (a toy race car),” explains Amir in detail, adding: “However, drones take it a step further from Tamiya by testing your skills of not only building it, but also controlling it. That’s what makes flying drones so much more exciting!”
STAYING FOCUSED
Flying a drone that you’d painstakingly built may look easy from a spectator’s point of view. But the reality is, it’s not. “I crashed mine immediately after I took off!” recalls Saw with a chuckle. Continuing, she reveals: “It takes a lot of trial and error to eventually be able to control your drone steadily. Because one slight mistake and God knows where you’ll crash it! But I must say, once you’ve gotten the hang of it and you enter a race and actually finish it, the satisfaction you derive is indescribable.”
Aside from just being focused on the skills in building and flying your drone, Amir believes that passion is a big driver in pushing the pilots to continue even after many failed attempts. “There are many guides on how to fly a drone that can easily be found on the Internet. But essentially, you need to face whatever challenges you may have on your own and never give up. Crash a couple of times, make a bad turn, be unsuccessful in tunnelling … these are the mistakes that build your experience and make you want to be better,” shares Amir.
The worst that could ever happen is to see your drone plunging into a body of water. “When that happens, expect to have more than half of your drone parts to be damaged,” adds Amir, recalling his experience with a laugh.
That said, no matter how many times you’ve made the starting point and practised the runs, the nerves will always get to you. “Until today, no matter how many races I’ve entered, no matter how many flights I’ve piloted, when I’m at the starting line, my hands still menggigil (shake),” shares Shah, continuing: “And if you ever find yourself in the finals, your anxiety level goes up. Before you know it, bulu roma semua pun naik (you’ll get goosebumps).”
GOING GLOBAL
The recent race in Shenzen, China was the first ever large-scale international competition that the pilots have ever entered. They’re also the first ever Malaysian representatives in the global arena. “I’ve been to many races outside of Malaysia, but nothing as big as this,” confides the affable Shah in awe. “The equipment they had was by far the most impressive,” he continues.
Chipping in, Amir excitedly reveals: “It was such a great opportunity to meet my idols whom I’d only ever seen on YouTube or Facebook. They were all so friendly and I’ve even learnt a few tricks from them.”
Being one of only 13 girls in the competition, Saw acknowledges that sometimes it can get rather lonely. “It’s nice to finally be a part of a sisterhood in a very male dominant sport. It’s nice to know that you’re not alone,” she says.
A faint beep on my watch tells me that we’ve been talking for almost an hour. The digits show that it’s already 5pm. Before I could utter a word, Amir sheepishly apologises for having to leave. He has a class that will begin soon.
We make our way to the lift lobby together. Standing in front of the lift, waiting for the doors to slide open, Shah suddenly turns to me, saying: “It would be great if there were more races that’s supported and sanctioned by the government. And also proper race tracks for us to practise on. Perhaps then we’d be able to develop and eventually be able to make the country proud.”
OUR FIRST GLOBAL REPRESENTATIVES
Amir Haziq Saiful Rijal, 23
This electrical and electronics engineering student from Uniten (Universiti Tenaga Nasional) first fell in love with the sport when he started building his own toy drones as a hobby. Soon, he graduated from rudimentary toys to racing breeds when he was introduced to the local circuits. With more exposure and knowledge, Amir soon began taking part in local race competitions. By 2016, he had won his first competition and came in third at the MultiGP Malaysia held in Johor. The following year, he climbed his way up the competitive ladder and took home several trophies for his efforts.
This year, Amir became the first ever Malaysian representative at the FAI World Drone Racing Championship in China, marking his first appearance in the global arena.
Saw Zhi Ying, 19
Her fondness and fascination for robotics and technology pulled this computer science major from Inti University into the realms of flying drones when she spotted a close friend tinkering with one. The immense satisfaction of seeing her self-built drone take flight pushed her into wondering what more she could do with it. Soon, Saw began racing drones in neighbourhood competitions for fun.
Her first official win came two years ago when she entered the 2016 CF Drones Meet-up Friendly Racing (Under-18) and Zone E-7 Amateurs (Under-18 Micro Squad). The bubbly girl admits she has much to learn in terms of the competitive sport, and hopes that in time she’d be able to make the country proud. This year, she officially debuts as our country’s first female representative in the global arena at the FAI World Drone Racing Championship in China.
Shah Johan, 34
This veteran was one of the pioneers in drone racing in the country. He began his foray into drone competitions more than five years ago. Back when he first started, racing drones was more of a hobby among friends than it was a competitive extreme sport. His love for racing remote control objects and building electronics eventually pushed him to the top of the league. His fascination for drone racing has not dampened even though he admits that there are much better pilots these day.
These days, he’s determined to lead and train both Amir and Saw to be the best they can be in the global drone racing arena in the hope that one day, they’d be able to show that Malaysia too Boleh!