We often wonder what spins a person who flies racing drones. With that, we spoke with our pilots who come from two racing drone groups here in Singapore – Team Bidadari and Team Da Gate Krashers (DGK).
Their full profile can be read here.
Our impressions of them;
Aqil aka Flash(Team DGK) – we call him the “The Charmer”. With looks that probably fit well with a boy band, he has amazing LOS (line of sight) skills; flipping and rolling through small gaps, between branches and racing his quad like a high speed train on rails.
Eugene aka Stray Monkey (Team Bidadari) – we named him “Chessman”. A tenacious drone racer who will review his flight recording after each flight; checking race lines and moves, planning ahead like a chess player. Never reckless, always under control. An extremely passionate pilot, he carries a spare goggle whenever he flies, just to wait for that one – or many – curious onlooker to ‘take a ride’ and experience what FPV racing is.
Harold (Team DGK) – Calm and collected, which is why we call him “Iceman”. Amazing close proximity flying skills which shows when he race his drone. With a standard pre-flight routine – straps himself onto his garden chair, adjust his goggles, shrugs shoulders and off he goes. Once off, nothing else moves except his fingers.
Yong Cheh aka YC (Team Bidadari) – a “Bartender” is the impression we get when looking at his quadcopter; a cocktail of different ESCs and motors on the same quad, probably even tried flying with a mixture of props? He’s one who does not blame his tools when something fails. Passionate in both freestyle and racing, the “Bartender” is always ready to coach and help any rookie, just like a bartender lending a ear to a drunkard and his woes.
What they said;
Total Rotor : How often do you fly?
YC : As a retiree, I have lots of time on my side. Besides the usual weekend flying sessions, I soon became the guy to look for when any fellow fliers need company on their weekday flying sessions. However, as my three kids grew older and require more of my attention, I had to cut down on those weekday sessions.
Harold : Unfortunately due to work and family, the last day of the week is the only day I can fly…if the weather permits.
Total Rotor : What advice would you give to a new drone racer and what are the hardest part of drone racing?
Eugene : The most challenging part of drone racing or any kind of racing is actually not the racing part! Assuming you want to enter a race to do well… 2 things are what I think are challenges for everyone, myself included.
Firstly, preparation. Drone set up, testing and practice… lots of practice! Without this, you should set lower expectations. If you are ill prepared, then on race day you’ll be distracted with technical issues or self doubt (if not enough practice.)
Second point, mental stability. In a game where the slightest twitch of the control or a momentary lapse of focus and judgement could be fatal for your drone, you need to find some way to calm the nerves. Nerves are good if they can be controlled. It keeps you sharp and on the edge (responsive).
The outcome of those 2 things should be consistency and maximized potential.
For me, there’s still a lot to learn technically so my preparation is not as slick as other seasoned racers. No issues with being mentally stable.
YC : To get into this hobby, new fliers need a lot of time and commitment to learn, explore and practice. To cut down on unnecessary mistakes or purchases, it is best to join a group of seasoned filers, they can provide valuable advices and guidance. Be humble and be open to new ideas and you can develop your own flying style after logging some flight time. For me, making friends and having fun with fellow fliers is the most important aspect of this hobby.
Total Rotor : When did you discover drone flying and what are your end goals with drone racing?
YC : I started as aerial photography rig builder and flier about 4 years ago. Started off with the first version – DJI Phantom – that I bought online and progressed to building quads and hexacopter. My interest in mini racing quad started when fellow flier, Nicholas Mok, flew his FPV250 fitted with Naze32 and 1804 motors and impressed us with his flips and rolls. We checked out his mini quad part lists and everyone in our group started building one. That event marked the formation of Team Bidadari
Aqil : My goal is definitely to be able to join big races in the future. And not forgetting being able to meet new people and make friends.
Total Rotor : Building a drone vs racing a drone? Which do you prefer and why?
Harold : Definitely flying, I don’t really enjoy building and setting up the drones plus it takes too much time from flying. I love being out enjoying nature. When I fly I feel free and forget about anything else that may be happening in my life.
Eugene : Definitely prefer to fly and race drones than building and fixing them. Having said that, there is a lot of pride and satisfaction in building a new drone. Each build is different and each gives a new learning experience, be it new components, new frame with different layout, previous crashes and learning how to better set up your drone. Electronics and soldering has not been my strong suit but with each build I get better. Need steady hands when building drones. Like performing brain surgery sometimes!
Aqil : Most of my school work trains me to be mechanically-savvy, plus being naturally inclined towards being hands-on, I’d say the build process. With that much time spent on building in school and on my drones, I’d like to think I’ve perfected (…almost) my soldering skills! But so what if I build that perfect drone and not fly it?!
Total Rotor : Do you freestyle or race and why and what excites you?
Eugene : Oh yes! Definitely love to fly Freestyle when I’m not racing. It is what drew me into flying drones in the first place. It is a totally different form of FPV. While it still tests you with judgement and control, it is not as rigid as drone racing. It is more an artistic form, an expression of self… like figure skating vs speed skating. Actually it is more exciting and entertaining. But is often comes down to where we fly that makes freestyle interesting too. The more obstacles and environmental features, the more challenging, the better. eg. deserted warehouse buildings, trees etc.
Harold : The high speed, the feeling of flying and floating – I have never been so addicted to any other hobby in my life. I do have another exciting hobby and that is collecting antique Chinese coins… I go to auctions to sell and/or buy them. It’s one that requires a lot of reading and research!
Aqil : The reason why I switched to drone racing is basically one thing which flying 3D plane doesn’t offer is the A-D-R-E-N-A-L-I-N-E rush! Besides like all RC addicts, 1 setup is never enough which in the end takes a lot of space around the house. Now, where can I keep this new frame…