Drone racing events are developing rapidly

National Aerospace Model Championship attracts many young contestants

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" — as the competition began, drones lifted off one after another, swiftly maneuvering and weaving through arch after arch, their spectacular performances drawing rounds of applause.

Recently, the 2024 National Aerospace Model (Drone Category) Championship and China Drone National Team Selection Trial was held in Chengdu, Sichuan, attracting 253 contestants from various regions. During the competition, contestants wore "flight goggles" and held remote controllers, operating the drones in first-person view for high-speed flight and precise obstacle avoidance, with the winner being the one who completed the designated course in the shortest time.

Drone racing is an emerging aviation sport. Although the aircraft are small, their top flight speed can exceed 300 kilometers per hour, earning them the nickname "F1 of the air." Chief referee Qian Tongchen introduced that the drone discipline has developed rapidly: when the first World Drone Racing Championship was held in 2018, there were only about 2,000 drone athletes nationwide, whereas now more than 100,000 young people are participating in the sport.

After three days of fierce competition, a total of 8 contestants were selected for the national training squad to prepare for the World Championship to be held in Hangzhou in October. "This year we will also hold the China Drone Racing League, including 8 rounds of divisional competitions and a grand final, hoping to encourage more young people to participate and strengthen the talent pipeline," said Feng Qing, Director of the Third Sports Department of the Aviation, Radio and Model Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China.

Shao Chuansheng from Xuzhou, Jiangsu, is in the first year of junior high school and has been involved in drone sports for 3 years. From frequent mistakes when he first started to skillfully completing various difficult maneuvers, the young man has made rapid progress, and last year he even earned the title of first-class athlete at a national competition.

Shao Chuansheng's father, Shao Yuzhong, explained that in addition to his studies, the boy trains at least 1 hour every day and adds extra practice on weekends. "My child often assembles and tunes drones himself, and his hands-on ability and concentration have improved greatly," Shao Yuzhong said.

Kong Haisen, competing on behalf of the Ningbo Wukong Drone Club, performed excellently and ultimately won the open category championship. He has been practicing drone racing for 7 years and achieved an impressive eighth place individually and third place as a team at the 2019 World Championship. "This sport really tests an athlete's hand-brain coordination and reaction speed, and it's full of fun," Kong Haisen said, speaking endlessly about the appeal of drone sports.

From a competitive perspective, drone racing has been listed as an event at the 15th National Games and the 12th World Games, attracting more and more participants and spectators. With major competitions as a fulcrum, the discipline is gaining greater room for development. "Drone sports involve many fields such as equipment, education and training, and cultural tourism and study tours, and are an important part of the low-altitude economy. China has become a globally leading country in drone production and manufacturing, and the prospects for this discipline are very broad," Qian Tongchen said.