B.C. drone racers take flight after a year and a half on the ground
First-person-view (FPV) pilots hoping to hold more races when pandemic restrictions ease
After being grounded for nearly a year and a half due to pandemic restrictions, B.C.'s fastest drone racers are taking to the skies again.
The pilots fly their small remote-controlled helicopters while wearing headsets called FPV (first-person view) goggles which receive a live video feed from the drones.
The image the pilot sees is a thrill ride like no other, according to pilot Joel Eusebio.
"You really feel like you're inside [the drone]," said Eusebio, who has been in the hobby for several years.
Watch: B.C. FPV pilots introduce you to the world of drone racing
Eusebio's drone flying club, KwadsRUs, is the Lower Mainland chapter of the MultiGP Drone Racing League, a national organization of FPV drone racers.
The club put several scheduled race events on hold during B.C.'s second and third waves of COVID-19. The handful of races it has hosted have been limited to B.C. residents only.
During the race, pilots aim to clock the three fastest consecutive laps around a course of obstacles.
Their times are shared to a country-wide leaderboard, with the fastest pilots earning bragging rights and potential eligibility for national competitions.
Those competitions are something club president Ignacio Romero is looking forward to doing again soon.
"We were hoping ... to bring it back because that was probably the one event that would bring all the community together across the country," he said.
The hobby is not for the faint of heart.
Pilots build each of their own drones, customizing them to perform aerial acrobatics that can be both spectacular and potentially nauseating to watch.
"When you're starting out … I'll suggest that you sit down first, because it kind of messes with you," said Eusebio.
Watch: see what an drone racing pilot sees in their goggles
Eusebio says he is excited to be racing against real people again.
"We were on a good trajectory to grow the club, but we got hit by the pandemic," he said.
Romero says while the hobby has grown in popularity over the pandemic as a solo activity, racing helps bring the FPV community together.
"Winning is not really the important part here," he said. "It's just bringing everybody together and just having fun doing something different than work."
