THE thrill of flying drones at speeds of 120km per hour through unique tracks from a bird’s eye perspective is driving the new Xtreme Sport of race drones.
One group promoting this new hi-tech sport is Hobby Geng; its members just love to fly these little machines.
Other groups that are also into drone racing include Team Air Strike and Team CV.
Hobby Geng’s head honco, Adrian Chai Sze Yong, who has been flying drones since 2012, likens the race drones to a different kind of beast.
“It combines the excitement of using first-person view (FPV) headgear and skills to control and manoeuvre the machines,” he says.
But what’s even more interesting about these race drones is that they are mostly custom-built.
“We the ‘pilots’, know everything about the drones that we are flying. It’s just like building your own jet fighter and then flying it,” says Chai, 35.
Although flying drones as a hobby has been around for two to three years in Malaysia now, the racing part is new.
“Unlike hovering drones, these are fast-flying machines and are built for racing,” says Chai, adding that the drones can also be flown leisurely at lower speed.
Recently, the first drone race championship was held in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur; it was also the Malaysia Nationals qualifier for 2016 World Drone Racing Championships.
A member of Hobby Geng team, Ibsen Wong Xin Chi, was one of the winners and now, he can go on to compete in the World Drone Racing Championship in Hawaii on Oct 20-22, 2016.
The ESPN channel has included the event in its Xtreme sports category.
RACE DRONES
What differentiates race drones from the regular ones like the DJI Phantom, is their ability to fly at high speeds of up to 250km per hour.
Chai and the Hobby Geng usually fly their race drones in Bukit Jalil Recreational Park, Taman Metropolitan in Kepong and Shah Alam Skate Park or in empty basement car parks.
One of the members, Wan Mohd Azzuddin Wan Ahmad Kamal, says drone enthusiasts love to fly these machines because they can get that “feeling of flying”.
“The drones are best flown with headgear that gives a first-person view of where the drones are heading,” he says.
A small camera on the drone transmits real-time visuals to the headgear, so the “pilot” is in full control as if he/she is actually flying.
“This gives us a Superman feel when we are flying these drones,” says Wan Mohd Azzuddin.
Due to the speed and power, a race drone has the power to fly for four minutes at a time only.
BUILDING THE DRONES
Race drones are custom-built to maximise its capability to fly.
Hobby Geng (www.hobbygeng.com) is also a hobbyist shop which provides all the necessary components to build race drones.
A full-set racing drone costs from RM600 to more than RM3,000; this is actually cheaper than ready-made aerial drones, says Chai.
For RM600, you get a drone the size of a palm, with four protected rotors and a camera. This can be flown with the FPV headgear too.
Since it opened in 2015, the Hobby Geng centre in Endah Parade, Bukit Jalil, is where hobbyists head for when they are looking for parts to build race drones.
“A race drone can be built in three hours, provided you have all the components ready,” says Chai.
Besides imported components like the frames, circuit boards and motors, Chai also uses a 3D printer to print components like the camera mount for the drones.
TRAINING CENTRE
Hobby Geng will open a training centre for drone racing enthusiasts at the end of the month in Endah Parade. Hobbyists can learn to build drones and understand the rules and regulations of flying them. Chai says: “We will teach basic set-ups for DIY racing drones, setting and tuning, simulator training and on-site flying as well as the rules and regulations.”
He encourages the public, especially teenagers to take up drone flying.
“When they build and fly drones, they learn something useful which will also increase their technical knowledge and skills. It’s better than loitering at malls and being up to mischief,” he adds.