FPV racing

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Typical quadcopter for FPV races with a diagonal of 220 mm.

FPV Racing ( English : First Person View Racing, freely translated: Race from the first person perspective), sometimes also FPV drone racing, in English often just drone racing, is a motor sport in which the participants use unmanned aerial vehicles (usually small quadcopters ), Racing fly. Cameras are mounted on these, the video image of which is transmitted in real time directly to the participants' video glasses . The goal is to complete a racetrack as quickly as possible. Motorsport began as an amateur sport in Australia in 2014 .

FPV racing technology

FPV (first person view) means that the pilot only sees what the aircraft's camera records. To do this, the image is transmitted from a camera mounted on the front end of the drone to video glasses using radio waves (usually at a frequency of 5.8 GHz or 2.4 GHz). The technology for this is relatively new and is constantly evolving. Corresponding FPV video glasses are available from around € 70 and can cost up to € 500, although higher quality glasses have additional functions such as an HDMI input, inserts for dioptre compensation lenses or head tracking .

In principle, any drone can be used for races, but there are restrictions depending on the league. The Drone Racing League (DRL), for example, develops all quadcopters that are used for the event itself and then makes them available to the pilots, including backup drones and spare parts.

With the MultiGP, on the other hand, the pilots use their own quadrocopters, which are then divided into classes according to performance and size.

Basically, the drones are designed to be able to fly and turn as quickly as possible, but to be as crash-proof as possible . In contrast, quadcopters for photography are built in such a way that they can float as stably as possible. Most drones that are used for racing have four powerful motors to generate the highest possible thrust and a frame made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic to be as light as possible, but stable to survive falls. The quadcopters complete the races at up to 140 km / h and therefore require quick reactions from their pilots and a steady hand.

Courses

Courses in leagues like the Drone Racing League are usually designed to be as difficult as possible to complete and consist of many narrow gates, tunnels and winding sections.

The tracks of other leagues, such as the US National Drone Racing Championship, are more open and therefore contain fewer and easier obstacles.

The MultiGP in turn lays down certain rules as to how local associations can organize their courses. In addition, it offers standardized courses which are flown on a temporary basis and which means that flights can be compared worldwide and ranked on a global ranking list.

Basically, different leagues have different courses and rules. As a well-financed organization, the DRL can afford more difficult routes with more obstacles, as it can also repair drones damaged during the races. Pilots who fly with their own quadcopters are less likely to take risks.

Organizations

There are different organizations around the world that provide different regulations for fair competition among pilots:

  • Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) - As a worldwide aviation association, the International Aeronautical Association is responsible for all activities in the field of aviation, including drone races. She also organizes the FAI Drone Racing World Cup. Multicopter racing belongs to the F3U class
  • European Rotor Sports Association (ERSA) - European non-commercial society that takes care of the spread of FPV sports in Europe and also organizes European Cup.
  • MultiGP - This for-profit company organizes races worldwide and, with 10,000 members and 400 local associations, is one of the largest organizers for FPV races. They are basically pilots of that
  • Drone Champions League (DCL) - a profit-oriented company that organizes races in various locations. In 2018 races were held in Germany (Munich), Spain (Madrid), China (Simatai), Belgium (Brussels) and Switzerland (Rapperswil). Sponsors include Breitling, Red Bull , Trilux and others.
  • Drone Racing League (DRL) - A for-profit media company that organizes races around the world at prominent locations with the best pilots worldwide. The races are prepared as spectacularly as possible for a mass audience.

Past major events

  • 2015 U.S. Fat Shark National Drone Racing Championships , California - The first of an annual FPV race held in the United States in a stadium during the California State Fair. The prizes had a total value of $ 25,000, for which over 100 pilots entered the race. Chad Nowak, an Australian pilot, won all 3 events: the race against time, a team competition and the freestyle trick competition. This also earned him the title of 2015 Drone Racing National Champion .
  • World Drone Prix , Dubai - This is today's largest and most lucrative race with prizes of 1 million US dollars.
  • 2016 US National Drone Racing Championships Presented by GoPro New York - The second event of the US National Drone Racing Championships, which this time took place on Governors Island in New York. 145 pilots competed for the US $ 57,000 prize.
  • 2016 MultiGP National Championships, Indiana - The second race of the MultiGP in which over 100 pilots competed for the grand prize of $ 15,000.
  • 2016 The World Drone Racing Championships took place from October 20th to 22nd at Kualoa Ranch , on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, USA. Prizes worth $ 200,000 were awarded

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Whiz kids. Retrieved May 4, 2017 .
  2. ↑ FPV Setup: We build an FPV Racer - basic knowledge and setup . In: Quadrocopter . September 27, 2015 ( rc-quadrocopter.de [accessed on May 14, 2017]).
  3. ↑ Racer3 | The Drone Racing League. Retrieved May 14, 2017 .
  4. ↑ MultiGP - | 2016 MultiGP Classes & Specifications . Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.multigp.com
  5. ↑ Drone Racing for Beginners - Oscar Liang . In: Oscar Liang . December 5, 2016 ( oscarliang.com [accessed May 14, 2017]).
  6. ↑ MultiGP - | MultiGP Universal Time Trial Tracks . Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.multigp.com
  7. ^ FAI Drone Racing World Cup
  8. ^ European Rotor Sports Association
  9. ↑ MultiGP
  10. ↑ Home - DCL . ( dcl.aero [accessed January 15, 2018]).
  11. ↑ The Races | DCL - The Drone Champions League . In: DRONE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE . ( dcl.aero [accessed November 14, 2018]).
  12. ^ Drone Racing League
  13. ↑ Official World Drone Racing Championships - FPV Racing . Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / droneworlds.com
  14. ^ Gentlemen, Start Your Drones . In: The New York Times . November 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ DRL 101 - The Drone Racing League .
  16. ↑ "British teen wins $ 250,000 in world's biggest drone race" , March 4, 2016, KG Orphanides, WIRED.com
  17. ↑ RESULTS | NATIONAL DRONE RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS ( en-US ) Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / dronenationals.com
  18. ↑ Janet Burns: Drone Racing Nationals Have Got ESPN, Big Finance Flocking To The Sport .
  19. ↑ Sebastian Bean: The 2016 Drone Nationals: Day 1 . Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 16, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / thirdlawsports.com
  20. ^ Toby: Hobby News Online Articles . September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hobbynews.com
  21. ↑ Sam Cooke: MultiGP Drone Racing Championship - Record breaking fun . Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 16, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / thirdlawsports.com
  22. ↑ CHAMPIONSHIPS - DroneWorlds ( en-US ) Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / droneworlds.com
  23. ^ Drone World Championships: Drone racing in the land of Jurassic Park . In: Ars Technica . October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.