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APSU Drone Club to launch inaugural racing season Friday

(Posted Sept. 27, 2018)

We’re going to level with you.

The APSU Drone Club’s racing drones are too fast for us to catch on video. When they really get rocking, they travel around 100 mph, and we can’t keep up with them.

They’re just a blur.

And they’re too light to carry a GoPro. The drone in the above video isn’t a racing drone. It’s a fast one, sure, but it’s traveling 40 mph, maybe 50.

But you can SEE the drones for yourself, no cameras needed, at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, when the Drone Club at APSU launches its inaugural season racing in the Collegiate Drone Racing Association (CDRA).

Club members will set up an official CDRA track at the Dunn Bowl and race their drones around flags and through gates in an effort to record fast-enough times to qualify for the national championship in the spring at Purdue University.

Michael Hunter’s racing drone flies through one of the gates of the course. 

All schools race using the same course layout, posted to the CDRA website. The course changes each month. Racing drones can be no longer than 305 mm with 6-inch propellers. The gates can be no larger than 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide and the flags 5 feet tall.

The teams can have as many members as they like but must have at least two pilots. The Drone Club at APSU has three qualified pilots on the team:

• Michael Hunter, president, junior, graphic design.
• Antoine Rawlins, vice president, senior, computer science.
• Harrison Welch, treasurer, senior, computer science.

Individual pilots submit their three fastest consecutive lap times for the day. Onboard video is required for all submitted times. The times are converted into points, and the team scores are the three highest individual scores.

At the end of each month, the top ranked schools qualify for the national championship in the spring. At the championships, the drones race four at a time. Here’s a good video from the University of Alabama about the 2018 National Championship: .

 This is the layout of the first month’s course.

The Drone Club brings its drones out frequently on campus, showing off members’ skills but also in an effort to attract new recruits.

“I think people are worried about the price point, but they don’t realize this first year is free,” Hunter said. “We’re going to request some funds, but it’s only if you want to. We need more batteries and gates.”

The club will provide the materials for you to build a drone. The club has kits to get started and a 3D printer to build parts and accessories.

After that, the cost might not be as high as you’d think. Hunter’s higher-end drone cost him $300, but you can build quality drones for around $100, he said.

To learn about the league the Drone Club at APSU will be competing in, visit . The website also has some really cool videos.

To learn about the Drone Club at APSU, visit its Facebook page at .