Australian pilot clean sweeps first international drone racing competition - Gizmag
The first international drone racing contest invited budding pilots from all around the globe to battle it out for the inaugural US National Championship and a slice of US$25,000 in cash prizes. The sport of drone racing is still largely unknown, but tight-knit communities of dedicated enthusiasts are popping up around the world with amateur leagues forming in France, England, the US and Australia. Well according to those behind the joysticks, what really gives drone racing its edge are the sets of first person view goggles used to tune into video stream coming from the aircraft's front-facing cameras. So rather than controlling the drone by eye, racers see only what the drones see as they zip through trees, pylons and other obstacles, creating a highly addictive sense of immersion. Australia's Chad Nowak was flown over to compete in the US courtesy of his sponsor, Immersion RC. When we spoke to him at a drone race in Melbourne last month, he had pretty modest expectations about how he would fare among the sport's elite. A total of 100 pilots took part across three separate events. An individual time trial, a team time trial and a freestyle stunt competition where pilots perform barrel rolls and other maneuvers to impress the judges. Source: www.gizmag.com
