This article was appeared on preflightschool.com. Click here to view.
We got a chance to chat with Le Hong Phuc, Vietnamese born, living and studying in Singapore. Nicknamed “Vietnamese power” by fellow flyers, Phuc is a talented drone pilot, has been competing in international and local competitions across Asia. We asked Phuc about his experiences, his aspirations and how he balances his studies and his passion.
Tell us a little about your background
Hey all, I’m Le Hong Phuc and let me tell you all about FPV racing and miniquads! Just before we start, I would like to thank Pre-flight School for the stage and the opportunity to contribute to the School and the community. I am honoured helping and growing awareness within our community and beyond, as well as inspire new-comers into this hobby. Have no doubt – It is a great hobby to take part in and I encourage all of you to try it out! I came to Singapore about 5 years ago on a Ministry Of Education (MOE) Scholarship, I was schooling at Gan Eng Seng Secondary School, and I’m currently a student of Singapore Polytechnic, pursuing my dreams and passion in Aerospace Electronics (yes – my studies for a professional career and my passion for Drone hobby are related).
How long have you been flying drones and where did the interest come from?
I have been flying multicopter for exactly 2 years now. I started off with a big DJI Flamewheel F450 quadcopter wanting to do aerial photography (believe it or not, I started off with a slow and steady flight platform). Soon after that I switched to a TBS Discovery (an aerial photography platform made by Team Black Sheep [PFS]). I was happy with those platforms for a while until I came across the YouTube channels of BorisB, Charpu, and MetallDanny – all legendary FPV and racing pilots. Those really inspired me to try out FPV mini quadcopter racers.
My first ever miniquad build was a Blackout MiniH 220. I didn’t build it myself, which is a shame, as I think building your own quadcopter makes you better value your drone much more than getting a ready made one. A friend of mine – Nicholas – helped me out and the entire quadcopter was built at his place. That was around early 2015. Fast forwarding to today, I have built more quadcopters than I can fly (a big thank you to my sponsors supporting me!). I own a wide range of FPV racing mini-quad frames with different configurations to suit different flying styles: racing, freestyling, endurance to name a few (small modifications in multi-rotor configurations impact the aircraft behavior, giving it different flying characteristics. For example FPV Racing quadcopters are lightweight and designed for speed, while Endurance quadcopters are designed for long flights and are designed to maximise battery efficiency during flight [PFS]). I started competing earlier this year around March, and since then this whole racing scene has literally took off locally.
Tell us about your personal equipment
Currently my fleet consists of the Katak SE – LHP version (a locally designed frame with some of my tweaks to it, thanks to a talented designer – Az), a custom frame by YunSong, ImpulseRC Aliens, and some striped lightweight X frame (by striped I mean they are either broken or their parts were used in other frames), and of course, AstroX.
Recently I have been flying my Katak SE as well as the custom frame from YunSong very frequently because they are light, durable, and very FAST. The components are identical though: I use FuriousFPV Kombini as a Flight Controller (a mini computer that controls the aircraft [PFS]), Maytech BlackFire BLHELI_S ESCs (Electronic Speed Controller – or ESC- is an electrical device translating signals from the flight controller to the motor to control it’s speed [PFS]) and Cobra CP2205 2500kv motors. I use Taranis radio and a compatible FrSky X4R-SB receiver, FT402 200mW VTX (Video transmitter – or VTX – is broadcasting live video images through a downlink to a pilot’s goggles or screen [PFS]) , Mini Sony PZ0420M CCD camera (A tiny camera capturing the images from the drone [PFS]), and lastly, TBS Triumph 5.8GHz antenna.
For different race scenario, I’ll use different propellers that I feel they will best suited for the race course. My go=to propellers are from HQProps, mostly using S5x4x3PC, DP5x4.6×3, 5x4x3, 5x4x4 (propellers differentiate by material, size, shape, pitch and number of blades, all generating different flight characteristics)
I’m fond of Bonka batteries. I’ve been flying them since last year and most of the packs are still in good conditions. They really pack a punch with very little sag, which is extremely important during races. That extra 0.1v helps me keep up with my opponents. And those can withstand abuse as I am pushing them to their limits for nearly a year long and they are still alive.
For my First Person View (FPV) setup, I’m using a Fatshark HDv2 goggles with FuriousFPV True-D Diversity module. The antennas on my goggles are VAS MadMushroom and ImmersionRC Mini Patch antennas. On my quads, I use pretty standard Video Transmitter with TBS Triumph antennas. So far I have this setup performs well in all situations – might it be outdoors, dense trees and forests or at concrete carparks.
Tell us about the competition have you participated in
I have participated in quite a few races this year, with the first one – Future Me – at the Floating Platform in March, then the next one was Drone Impact Challenge in Japan, MultiGP Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur and the most recent one was Singapore Drone Worlds Qualifier which I came in 4th. I was also invited to D1 Asia Cup in China and GiGa Drone Racing World Masters in Korea. Unfortunately, the events clashed with my school schedule so I could not attend both. I am also part of team Stratos, which is based in Singapore.
How does it feel taking part in a real competition – is it very different than flying casually on weekends?
When it comes to racing, the stress is real! Especially when your equipment fails or you had a bad crash during one of the heat. The adrenaline you get at the ‘hot seat’ will rush in, your heart will start pumping faster, and your hands would tremble. It’s nothing like a weekend casual flying, even if you choose to take it lightly, seeing people jumping around you would make you jump at your seat too.
How do you prepare for a race? Do you have any secret technique for racing?
Preparation for competitions is a must. Aside from clocking more ‘stick time’ and practice (a term used by pilots to describe flying drones using the remote control 2 levers – looking like sticks [PFS]), I prepare backup racing quadcopters just in case of any mishappening or a crash. So I dedicate extra time building those quads. It is also a good idea to have a few different setups for the same race (different motors or different power to weight ratio setup for example) as the race format may change between qualifier and final – from clocking fastest lap time to endurance – last-man-standing race. You should also test the limits of your telemetry, FPV and radio gear to make sure your radio range is sufficient and a failsafe would trigger in case of a problem (a failsafe mechanism ensures a drone would either hover in place, land or simply stop it’s motors in case it loses radio signal and control and is considered a very important safety measure [PFS]).
One of my racing tactics is to gain confidence flying the race tracks. To do so I fly relatively slow for the first few laps to get myself familiarized with the track, then I’ll start pushing harder to the limits where I can still have good control and no crashes.
What would it take for one to become a competition drone pilot?
You really need to set your mind on it. It takes a lot of effort, dedication and passion to keep going up in the air knowing that you are pushing every boundary out there. You’ll try to be faster, to be more precise. But it comes at a cost – while you push the boundaries you would be crashing more often, the damage would be more costly and the repair bills would be higher. Recently, I destroyed 2 motors, 1 flight controller, 1 Electronic Speed Controller and 1 battery in a single crash. The total damage is evaluated around $150 worth of parts. Propellers are considered “consumable” and you basically destroy a bunch at every flight session. I have to shout out a big “Thank You” to Zhong Zhong at HQProps for sponsoring with the best propellers in the market. HQProps certainly gives me wings!
Having a team is of great support too. Your fellow team member or ‘wingmen’ spend time training with you and provide mental support too. I’m very honoured to be a member of Stratos and we have been through thick and thin of this sport and we hope to participate in more races in the future.
Tell us more about team Stratos
Stratos consists of Derrick, Zacky, Chase, Hao Shuai, and myself. Out vision is to promote the local drone racing scene and the hobby, as well as to entertain with epic videos. However we are not a commercial group and we are also busy with our daily lives, work and studies. We try to balance and prioritize our time training and participating at races in the region. We also aim to teach and educate about FPV racing. For example we recently held a display together with Radio Modelers Singapore at Ghim Moh Hawker Centre.
How do you balance between your studies and racing?
One of the trickiest thing for me is to balance between my studies and this awesome hobby. I am still a student. But I’m pretty much satisfied to be in a course that relates so much about my hobby, that makes things easier I guess. I mainly fly on the weekends, but there are times when my school finishes early, I’ll still try to squeeze out time to fly a few batteries either at the school field or my “secret flying place”. I’m also a member of SP Aviation Club, which is a CCA (Co-curricular Activity) at my school. I get to build stuffs in the club and learn new things every day, like flying planes and aerodynamics designs. I also consult some of seniors through the club to help them with their Final Year Projects.
Competitions don’t really clash with my school timetable as most of the events are held over weekends. However, the Japan event required me to clear more time to get there. Fortunately, I got the permissions and support required by my Course Chairmans as they strongly believed this can be a new learning experience I can share with my friends when back.
Are you planning to become a professional competition pilot?
As much as I love this hobby, I don’t plan to become a fulltime FPV racer, but more of a drone operator – either in the army service, or work as a developer. Sky has no limits, and we are already using up our land or sea resources. There are so many possibilities of integrating drones into our lives, such as delivery service, surveillance, agriculture to name a few. But that doesn’t mean I will stop flying FPV. There’s nothing more liberating than the moment I put my goggles on and fly FPV!
What do you think of the future of drone racing ?
Drone racing has been growing at a rapid pace, more and more people are getting into this hobby. There have been more races in the region compared to last year and the competitions are getting more intensive. Investors are trying to monetize on the hobby and by providing support and sponsorship both parties – the pilots and the companies – can benefit from it. ESPN (US based sports channel [PFS]) started broadcasting drone racing on their channel now and I think that’s a huge step forward for us pilots. It grows awareness and draws attention bringing the hobby to the mainstream, which means races are going to be more grand in the future !!!
Follow Le Hong Phuc on his Facebook profile.
Follow Puch’s YouTube Channel here.