I guess this FPV drone racing fad is becoming mainstream with large Pro Sports owners
#1
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (7)
I guess this FPV drone racing fad is becoming mainstream with large Pro Sports owners
They now have a league with a television agreement with ESPN and it was actually on ESPN main headline sports page.
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
#2
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
They now have a league with a television agreement with ESPN and it was actually on ESPN main headline sports page.
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
Do you realize the difference between a drone and a MR racer? Have you flown either of them, or for that matter, ever seen the them fly?
You've been in the hobby a while, and part of at least two "Brotherhoods", so not an average Joe really. Do you think you could pick up a MR and race it? Or fly a pattern with it? No goggles, just completely LOS?
I doubt many fixed wing pilots could do it, but it would certainly be easier to do with a DJI Phantom (but even that takes some skill). I've tried the racer...it's not easy, at least not for me.
But ya, the MR racing is becoming mainstream, as is the use of drones. Would have been silly for the hobby to have turned it's back on these forms of modeling and flying right?
#3
My Feedback: (1)
I think maybe it would be nice if you explained the differences for claritys' sake. I am not sure I know the difference, as there seem to be many opinions about this and not too many agree on the definition. If you are strictly talking about the FAA's definition, that is one thing, but you know as well as I do, that is not necessarily the common definition that is referred to on these threads.
If I try to read your post as I think you intended it, you suggest there is a difference between a "drone" and a "MR racer". If you were to ask me, there is no difference and I suspect that others here feel the same. I would like to know what the difference is in your opinion so we can start this discussion without any assumptions.
You are aware that the DRL events are races using FPV, correct? I may be wrong, but if you were to ask most what a MR racer is, they would describe something flown via FPV.
Regards,
Astro
If I try to read your post as I think you intended it, you suggest there is a difference between a "drone" and a "MR racer". If you were to ask me, there is no difference and I suspect that others here feel the same. I would like to know what the difference is in your opinion so we can start this discussion without any assumptions.
You are aware that the DRL events are races using FPV, correct? I may be wrong, but if you were to ask most what a MR racer is, they would describe something flown via FPV.
Regards,
Astro
#4
They now have a league with a television agreement with ESPN and it was actually on ESPN main headline sports page.
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
Great news maybe now they can get their own CBO going. They can fight with the FAA over FPV.
Mike
#5
And you are a person who hasn't flown a FPV drone racer.
#7
My Feedback: (5)
They now have a league with a television agreement with ESPN and it was actually on ESPN main headline sports page.
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
http://www.espn.com/moresports/story...ting-agreement
I guess people like the immediate fly now satisfaction of drones over us traditional plank flying hobbyist... Since the average joe can go pick up self righting/flying drone and basically install batteries and fly...
A large number of flyers actually build them up from bare frames both racing quads and racing wings so modeling is alive and well in the FPV racing world. Some would say it's more involved than getting an ARF plane in the air.
Yes Multigp is growing and this part of the hobby is growing rapidly with events all over the world.
I belong to a group in Multigp and have been FPV flying and racing for a little over a year and I hope to get much better at racing in the future......practice,practice,practice!
Multigp is an AMA SIG, and FPV flying/racing is expanding rapidly. Like it or not it is here to stay.
Give it a try....you may just like it ! I did !
#8
#9
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
if that's the case, how would you categorize all those events I previously listed involving traditional fixed wing aircraft, and the cash and prizes they awarded? Clover Creek, The Tuscon Shootout etc etc etc. It's never seemed to be a problem, but ever since the MR/Drone folks started doing it, it's a concern.
#10
My Feedback: (1)
if that's the case, how would you categorize all those events I previously listed involving traditional fixed wing aircraft, and the cash and prizes they awarded? Clover Creek, The Tuscon Shootout etc etc etc. It's never seemed to be a problem, but ever since the MR/Drone folks started doing it, it's a concern.
Astro
#11
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
Yes there are several racing quads out there like the Blade/Immersion Vortex that are already built however there is a lot of work involved with the firmware to tweak it to get it running/flying really well. It's not simply open the box and go racing.
A large number of flyers actually build them up from bare frames both racing quads and racing wings so modeling is alive and well in the FPV racing world. Some would say it's more involved than getting an ARF plane in the air.
Yes Multigp is growing and this part of the hobby is growing rapidly with events all over the world.
I belong to a group in Multigp and have been FPV flying and racing for a little over a year and I hope to get much better at racing in the future......practice,practice,practice!
Multigp is an AMA SIG, and FPV flying/racing is expanding rapidly. Like it or not it is here to stay.
Give it a try....you may just like it ! I did !
A large number of flyers actually build them up from bare frames both racing quads and racing wings so modeling is alive and well in the FPV racing world. Some would say it's more involved than getting an ARF plane in the air.
Yes Multigp is growing and this part of the hobby is growing rapidly with events all over the world.
I belong to a group in Multigp and have been FPV flying and racing for a little over a year and I hope to get much better at racing in the future......practice,practice,practice!
Multigp is an AMA SIG, and FPV flying/racing is expanding rapidly. Like it or not it is here to stay.
Give it a try....you may just like it ! I did !
#12
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (7)
Well if you listen to one person here, these events don't really happen, and certainly don't have spectators coming in to watch, so they are not successful by that standard. And even though they don't exist really, they have to dangle cash out as an incentive.
Do you realize the difference between a drone and a MR racer? Have you flown either of them, or for that matter, ever seen the them fly?
You've been in the hobby a while, and part of at least two "Brotherhoods", so not an average Joe really. Do you think you could pick up a MR and race it? Or fly a pattern with it? No goggles, just completely LOS?
I doubt many fixed wing pilots could do it, but it would certainly be easier to do with a DJI Phantom (but even that takes some skill). I've tried the racer...it's not easy, at least not for me.
But ya, the MR racing is becoming mainstream, as is the use of drones. Would have been silly for the hobby to have turned it's back on these forms of modeling and flying right?
Do you realize the difference between a drone and a MR racer? Have you flown either of them, or for that matter, ever seen the them fly?
You've been in the hobby a while, and part of at least two "Brotherhoods", so not an average Joe really. Do you think you could pick up a MR and race it? Or fly a pattern with it? No goggles, just completely LOS?
I doubt many fixed wing pilots could do it, but it would certainly be easier to do with a DJI Phantom (but even that takes some skill). I've tried the racer...it's not easy, at least not for me.
But ya, the MR racing is becoming mainstream, as is the use of drones. Would have been silly for the hobby to have turned it's back on these forms of modeling and flying right?
Yeah we have members who fly FPV racing drones at our club field, but they have to have a spotter; and I have looked through FPV goggles and have flown racing drones.. I would be pretty good at fpv drone racing with a good standard aircraft hud on good goggles. I do have a 450x Helicopter I still fly occasionally. I was just mentioning that drone/mr racing, it's becoming main stream... cause ESPN 2 is only one away from ESPN and 6 channels better than ESPN8....
Last edited by GSXR1000; 09-14-2016 at 09:34 AM.
#13
Yeah we have members who fly FPV racing drones at our club field, but they have to have a spotter; and I have looked through FPV goggles and have flown racing drones.. I would be pretty good at fpv drone racing with a good standard aircraft hud on good goggles. I do have a 450x Helicopter I still fly occasionally. I was just mentioning that drone/mr racing, it's becoming main stream... cause ESPN 2 is only one away from ESPN and 6 channels better than ESPN8....
Without spectator support this will dry up and die. Sponsors will not continue to put out money with out a return for long.
Calling this "mainstream" is a bit of a stretch.
Mike
Last edited by rcmiket; 09-14-2016 at 09:42 AM.
#14
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
Lot's of stuff gets discussed across all the threads, what's the relevance to this discussion? I do recall one prior discussion about the issue, specifically where Mike was mocking a MR event for having cash and prizes, but when I noted that several fixed wing events did the same thing....well, crickets. When I asked Mike to explain why it was o/k for a fixed wing event to do this, but not a MR event, he didn't have an answer to the question, at least not one he would share publicly. That's why I thought it was a good issue to bring up again, since he raised the issue of cash prizes, again. Did those other discussions resolve the issue of the FAA and how they looked at the issue? I'm pretty sure he's capable of answering the questions himself, or sharing his opinion on the issue, absent a formal finding by the FAA, or not. At the end of the day I'm looking for clarity, or his rationale for why it's o/k for one group to do it, but not another.
#15
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
I think maybe it would be nice if you explained the differences for claritys' sake. I am not sure I know the difference, as there seem to be many opinions about this and not too many agree on the definition. If you are strictly talking about the FAA's definition, that is one thing, but you know as well as I do, that is not necessarily the common definition that is referred to on these threads.
If I try to read your post as I think you intended it, you suggest there is a difference between a "drone" and a "MR racer". If you were to ask me, there is no difference and I suspect that others here feel the same. I would like to know what the difference is in your opinion so we can start this discussion without any assumptions.
You are aware that the DRL events are races using FPV, correct? I may be wrong, but if you were to ask most what a MR racer is, they would describe something flown via FPV.
Regards,
Astro
If I try to read your post as I think you intended it, you suggest there is a difference between a "drone" and a "MR racer". If you were to ask me, there is no difference and I suspect that others here feel the same. I would like to know what the difference is in your opinion so we can start this discussion without any assumptions.
You are aware that the DRL events are races using FPV, correct? I may be wrong, but if you were to ask most what a MR racer is, they would describe something flown via FPV.
Regards,
Astro
#16
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (7)
I picked up his "tidbit" on your quote on my saying these events "don't really happen" let me set the record straight I said and still maintain that there's not spectators at them. Never numbers posted as to attendance. There's even pictures proving that point.
Without spectator support this will dry up and die. Sponsors will not continue to put out money with out a return for long.
Calling this "mainstream" is a bit of a stretch.
Mike
Without spectator support this will dry up and die. Sponsors will not continue to put out money with out a return for long.
Calling this "mainstream" is a bit of a stretch.
Mike
Probably to a lesser degree, it will do like what WSOP and WPT did for no limit texas holdem poker. It got real big real quick and had a few good years of growth and and then the growth stopped, it went down, but now has a decent steady plateau, cause sometimes late night after watching baseball on foxsports the show after it is WPT and guess what, I sometimes won't change the channel and i'll watch the WPT show.
So i think with it being on the deuce, it will have a similar effect, not as large or fast a growth that poker got, but i can see high school kids researching stuff online after watching a DRL episode and pricing how much it would take to get in the hobby/sport.
$12 million dollar investment is a lot of money to create infrastructure and see what the ROI will be 4/5 years down the road. Those guys may have just thrown away $12 million bucks or they maybe starting a viable platform in it's infancy...
Last edited by GSXR1000; 09-14-2016 at 10:05 AM.
#17
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
Yeah we have members who fly FPV racing drones at our club field, but they have to have a spotter; and I have looked through FPV goggles and have flown racing drones.. I would be pretty good at fpv drone racing with a good standard aircraft hud on good goggles. I do have a 450x Helicopter I still fly occasionally. I was just mentioning that drone/mr racing, it's becoming main stream... cause ESPN 2 is only one away from ESPN and 6 channels better than ESPN8....
I would agree with you that this form of flying is becoming more mainstream, just as the use of it's close brother, the "Drone" is. I don't think I've ever seen another channel start a relationship with any other kind of RC flying, but might be wrong on that. They aren't doing this for some altruistic means, they are doing it because it's popular...and there is sponsorship and advertising dollars in it. Every time a new technology comes into popularity there is a big rush to be involved in it, then it settles down and will either peter out, or start it's slow build, and eventual plateau. I think that can be said for any of the aircraft now involved in the hobby.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after you give it a try, either with or without the goggles.
#18
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
if you look, it's really sarcasim at mr/drones becoming main stream; if you picked up my ESPN 8 reference.
Probably to a lesser degree, it will do like what WSOP and WPT did for no limit texas holdem poker. It got real big real quick and had a few good years of growth and and then the growth stopped, it went down, but now has a decent steady plateau, cause sometimes late night after watching baseball on foxsports the show after it is WPT and guess what, I sometimes won't change the channel and i'll watch the WPT show.
So i think with it being on the deuce, it will have a similar effect, not as large or fast a growth that poker got, but i can see high school kids researching stuff online after watching a DRL episode and pricing how much it would take to get in the hobby/sport.
Probably to a lesser degree, it will do like what WSOP and WPT did for no limit texas holdem poker. It got real big real quick and had a few good years of growth and and then the growth stopped, it went down, but now has a decent steady plateau, cause sometimes late night after watching baseball on foxsports the show after it is WPT and guess what, I sometimes won't change the channel and i'll watch the WPT show.
So i think with it being on the deuce, it will have a similar effect, not as large or fast a growth that poker got, but i can see high school kids researching stuff online after watching a DRL episode and pricing how much it would take to get in the hobby/sport.
#19
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (7)
We have the same at ours, although some of the guys are actually racing the course without the goggles, that adds a whole different layer of complexity to it. If you already have the heli and fixed wing piece down, I bet you would do great at it. Give it a try, so far the most damage I see from crashes is a few props. Our grass is a little higher but these things don't seem to break nearly as much as my planes when I do a dirt dive.
I would agree with you that this form of flying is becoming more mainstream, just as the use of it's close brother, the "Drone" is. I don't think I've ever seen another channel start a relationship with any other kind of RC flying, but might be wrong on that. They aren't doing this for some altruistic means, they are doing it because it's popular...and there is sponsorship and advertising dollars in it. Every time a new technology comes into popularity there is a big rush to be involved in it, then it settles down and will either peter out, or start it's slow build, and eventual plateau. I think that can be said for any of the aircraft now involved in the hobby.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after you give it a try, either with or without the goggles.
I would agree with you that this form of flying is becoming more mainstream, just as the use of it's close brother, the "Drone" is. I don't think I've ever seen another channel start a relationship with any other kind of RC flying, but might be wrong on that. They aren't doing this for some altruistic means, they are doing it because it's popular...and there is sponsorship and advertising dollars in it. Every time a new technology comes into popularity there is a big rush to be involved in it, then it settles down and will either peter out, or start it's slow build, and eventual plateau. I think that can be said for any of the aircraft now involved in the hobby.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after you give it a try, either with or without the goggles.
Last edited by GSXR1000; 09-14-2016 at 10:12 AM.
#20
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
I picked up his "tidbit" on your quote on my saying these events "don't really happen" let me set the record straight I said and still maintain that there's not spectators at them. Never numbers posted as to attendance. There's even pictures proving that point.
Without spectator support this will dry up and die. Sponsors will not continue to put out money with out a return for long.
Calling this "mainstream" is a bit of a stretch.
Mike
Without spectator support this will dry up and die. Sponsors will not continue to put out money with out a return for long.
Calling this "mainstream" is a bit of a stretch.
Mike
More denial,despite objective evidence to the contrary. Would love to see those smoking gun pictures you have conclusively showing that people don't attend these events. It's utter and complete nonsense to say that these events don't have spectators, a complete fabrication.
I don't recall specific numbers being posted about attendance at Nall, Clover Creek, The Tuscon Shootout, etc etc etc. Can I take a picture of those events without any context as to date/time taken, and use that as a basis to track participation. Of course not, but if there are a pic or two out there that doesn't show "standing room only" spectators you are trying to use that to show there are no spectators? C'mon now.
Here's a recent pic in the MA mag, also called the "rag":
Wow...a huge event like this, and look at all those empty seats! There has to be at least 100 there...right at show central? (FTE and ZAP signs made it into the pic, lol). Can we use this picture to gauge anything, other than it looks like some people were there,and it was nice day? Of course not. Oh, the article didn't disclose how many people attended the event.
Now, anyone who wants to know the real story, the actual and factual one, can spend 10 second googling to see what the deal is. This was one of the first things that popped up when I just did my google thang:
http://www.farnborough.com/public/pr...L-AIRSHOW-2016
Can you believe that? Yes, the Farnborough....the mother of all scale airshow events. Guess how many are expected to attend this expo and watch these babies fly. 80,000...
Another random pic:
Don't even know where to begin with poor spectator support leading to the death of anything.....again, at all the events I attend it's the pilots that make or break an event, the ones there for fun and fellowship and flying. Spectators are great to have, but don't make or break it where I come from. ymmv.
Last edited by porcia83; 09-14-2016 at 10:42 AM.
#21
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
Ya, I can totally see that. I tried the HH set up on the Vapor and it was pretty bad after 30 seconds. A guy at my club has some set up i tried on (while he was flying) and it was absolutely stunning how crisp and clear the view was, no lines, no hesitations, no vibration. Of course he has thousands poured into his gear....not for me!
#22
My Feedback: (1)
Lot's of stuff gets discussed across all the threads, what's the relevance to this discussion? I do recall one prior discussion about the issue, specifically where Mike was mocking a MR event for having cash and prizes, but when I noted that several fixed wing events did the same thing....well, crickets. When I asked Mike to explain why it was o/k for a fixed wing event to do this, but not a MR event, he didn't have an answer to the question, at least not one he would share publicly. That's why I thought it was a good issue to bring up again, since he raised the issue of cash prizes, again. Did those other discussions resolve the issue of the FAA and how they looked at the issue? I'm pretty sure he's capable of answering the questions himself, or sharing his opinion on the issue, absent a formal finding by the FAA, or not. At the end of the day I'm looking for clarity, or his rationale for why it's o/k for one group to do it, but not another.
What is being discussed here is how the FAA views flying for prize $$, and if $$ are involved, is it considered commercial or hobby operations.
What was being discussed on the thread you referred to was why promoters offer prize $$ at their events.
Two completely different topics
Astro
#23
My Feedback: (1)
Originally Posted by porcia83
Here's a recent pic in the MA mag, also called the "rag":
Wasn't it you that was just begging for everyone to keep to the subject at hand and whining about the need to take jabs?
Yep, pot is continuing to call the kettle black I guess.
Old habits die hard, don't they? 😉
How's the view from your pedestal today?
(Waiting for the pot to reply with how I have taken the thread off-course)
Astro
#24
Banned
My Feedback: (8)
You are either misunderstanding the discussion at hand, or intentionally trying to take it off course.
What is being discussed here is how the FAA views flying for prize $$, and if $$ are involved, is it considered commercial or hobby operations.
What was being discussed on the thread you referred to was why promoters offer prize $$ at their events.
Two completely different topics
Astro
What is being discussed here is how the FAA views flying for prize $$, and if $$ are involved, is it considered commercial or hobby operations.
What was being discussed on the thread you referred to was why promoters offer prize $$ at their events.
Two completely different topics
Astro
#25
You are either misunderstanding the discussion at hand, or intentionally trying to take it off course.
What is being discussed here is how the FAA views flying for prize $$, and if $$ are involved, is it considered commercial or hobby operations.
What was being discussed on the thread you referred to was why promoters offer prize $$ at their events.
Two completely different topics
Astro
What is being discussed here is how the FAA views flying for prize $$, and if $$ are involved, is it considered commercial or hobby operations.
What was being discussed on the thread you referred to was why promoters offer prize $$ at their events.
Two completely different topics
Astro
It's all about the money and how the FAA looks at it (is it recreational flying or not). That's going to decide this whole thing.
Mike