Inside the Drone Racing League

[@justin555666]

I don’t think people understand how immersive FPV is. Feels like a super power when you get good at flying.

[@raidzeromatt]

Brings me back to playing starfox as a kid

[@dudethatsmycat]

@diablocilantro2613 dude you are so cool omg 🥹

[@joshuarosen6242]

I do. I've just got into it precisely because I want an immersive flying experience. It's the closest I'll come to what has literally been a lifelong dream. Ever since I was tiny I have had recurring dreams about flying and I'm middle-aged now. FPV drones are the closest I'm likely to come to making that dream come true.

[@savalioanananimus]

Ikr, so fun

[@chaoabordo3399]

Now imagine how flying a last generation fighter aircraft must feel. It doesn't feel like a superpower, it is a superpower.

[@williaml-we3oz]

I have massive respect for every one of these pilots, being a drone pilot myself. Its really amazing to see the sport take off so quickly and continue to grow, as the industry and technology grows too, making drones more and more accessible. However, the red bull air races are cooler ;)

[@TheTruth-13]

Good for you, having respect

[@VinaySharma-xq6nw]

These are future fighter pilots

[@billyyank5807]

They aren't drones!!! Drones shoot missiles. Ya'll fronting. You fly unmanned aerial vehicles.

[@billyyank5807]

​@Vinay Sharma no they aren't.

[@williaml-we3oz]

@@billyyank5807 they call the predator drones (the ones that shoot missiles and drop bombs) UAVs more than they call them drones, they mean pretty much the same thing

[@FpvSage]

😂 I remember those days of not being able to control the drone.

[@supernatural802]

That first month in the sim was chaos. Then it all just makes sense one day. something something sea legs.

[@selbendersiinge69]

Frrr everytime i hop on liftoff now im just reminded of how it all started.

[@ExponentMars]

@@selbendersiinge69 yeah lol it was so hard to even fly straight and make turns at first

[@joshuarosen6242]

It may appeal to a younger audience but I wouldn't qualify as younger by any standard and I think fpv drones are very exciting. I'm currently about 30 hours into practising with Velocidrone and I'm still pretty crap but I've been having fun. Once I am confident I'm not going to trash or lose my drone immediately, I'll buy a drone and I'm really looking forward to it. I've always wanted to be able to fly since I was a little boy. I have dreamt about it more times than I could possibly count. I'm never going to be able to fly but an fpv drone is a pretty attractive alternative.

[@andrewbeeching1240]

+1 - and imagine all the people physically unable to operate their own aerial vehicle, who can potentially have this experience while still seated. Brilliant

[@rodhammack7160]

😊 very cool. The fpv cameras make drone racing dynamic for the viewer. This view makes the scale of the actual racetrack less relevant allowing for competitions to be set up in basic sports arenas, gyms, and warehouses. I also love that the scale of the actual drones is small keeping the price down. Making this racing league easy for novices to access.I am Waiting for the official drone racing video game as those obstacles and tight camera views look fun and difficult to fly.

[@benjaminutting9733]

The drl official sim has been out for a while

[@rodhammack7160]

@@benjaminutting9733 good to know going to look for a ps4 version.

[@jak11d6]

@@rodhammack7160 you cannot play the game with a ps4 controller. It is a simulator, not a game. Yes, it has thumbsticks, but a real radio controller has the left stick stay where you put it so you can control the throttle. Imagine trying to keep the throttle at a low level with the stick fighting you to push it back to the middle.

[@cirkles_9684]

These drone are not as small as you think. The DRL Racer 4 Street (a consumer version of the drones shown in the video) are about 7" in length, which is one of largest consumer grade FPV drones currently available in the market Most consumer grade drones come in at typically 5", which is still very large for an object that weights in at a third of a kilogram zooming past your face about an average 110 km/h.

[@soulextinguisher]

​@@jak11d6 I still don't see how that would be hard. I mean obviously realistically you'll need an actual drone controller to transmit the signal with low latency but I don't see how that matters in a sim.

[@baggszilla]

Unreal! Drone Racing Saved my LIFE!!!

[@shaneintegra]

Same, it was the only hobby that helped me from going back to drinking myself to death

[@The_Quaalude]

Y'all need help fr...

[@baggszilla]

@thequaalude1092 by the sound of it you don't...pfff!

[@pandoranbias1622]

I don't think the majority of people understand how insane your skill and reaction time has to be to accurately pilot these machines through these courses as fast as possible.

[@AddMoreQuarters]

Who cares really when you look this dumb wearing those things over your eyes.

[@cantinadudes]

Literal pod racers

[@CogitoErgoSumFortis]

I think they should do it like in F1, for each team to build their own drones, have pilots and eventually sponsors, which can be drone companies. And eventually managing the rules to incentivate improvements in drone technology as F1 has done for the car industry.

[@billyyank5807]

Sounds completely dumb. This isn't a sport. This is a hobby.

[@billyyank5807]

​@Home Habbit it's not a sport. It's a hobby.

[@a.k.amatsu4876]

Drone is smaller and faster doubt people can see the sponsor 😂

[@CogitoErgoSumFortis]

@@a.k.amatsu4876 but it can be everywhere on the pilots 😉

[@IndraKurniawan-vk2qb]

Isn't that Team Black Sheep?

[@jrummyjs]

the general public don't really understand how hard it is to fly fpv but once you get the hang of it its so rewarding.

[@thegrandnil764]

Show them the smaller drone racing. Those look insane.

[@thegrandnil764]

Here’s what smaller drone racing looks like: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5iZnZJre7KLq8k

[@Agar420]

Just waiting for the anime, the next level of tamiya

[@JonE5FPV]

Great coverage, I was at the event and able to get interviews from all 12 racers, that I am featuring on my channel. Such an exciting new sport.

[@MadDragon75]

You're a legend man. ✊

[@FaridShahidinejad]

Somewhere there is a military general splooging while watching this.

[@hugoosarion4775]

I was about to say the same

[@inoc805]

Ukrainians are already using them.

[@jeromebullard6123]

The military has stuff that would look like magic to the average person. These drones are nothing compared to what they have.

[@kilianclasen5521]

Somewhere in the battlefields of Eastern Europe, drones like these are equipped with explosives amd are very effective at sweeping russian formations

[@jeromebullard6123]

@@kilianclasen5521 a very cowardly way of fighting.

[@ShakeNBake8869]

this needs to be televised

[@poastoast]

it is, on espn

[@mrfourtysevenman]

im in the rc plane and helicopter hobby. its done a lot. its both expanded the hobby (added 30 paying members to my local club) but also idiots have gotten into it and said "hey im gonna see how close i can fly to the blue angels" its done some damage here and there. a lot of the guys who flew helicopters switched to drones causing a lot of really good helicopter brands to go out of business. i like how sophisticated they try to make the drones seem "1500 parts in this drone" lmao its a stick with motors on it. but when you build one yourself and put the goggles on the experience is amazing. i find myself leaning over a lot trying to stand there while im zipping the thing around. everybody should have one. except people who are going to do something stupid with it

[@jak11d6]

ha! I thought the same thing. What are you guys counting each and every resistor? esc, flight controller, fpv transmitter, radio transmitter, 4 motors, 2 large capacitors, fpv antenna, radio antenna, LEDs, propellers, camera, battery, and straps. That's it. 1500 smh.

[@718_JH_Moto]

This guy was counting screws and nuts lol

[@mrfourtysevenman]

@@718_JH_Moto yep lmao. its a stick with motors on it. oh and lights

[@Plackomiot]

@@jak11d6 That was for TV i bet, to make it sound special. Most likely producer needed some catch phrase and production came up with this 1500 parts thing to make it more complicated than it is

[@gameseeker6307]

So are quad choppers the most versatile?

[@sasugashogun]

That news reporter guy reminds me of the first time my family played Mario Brothers on the first Nintendo, we'd jerk our arms and bodies trying to make Mario jump and move. He's doing that with the simulation. 2:52

[@user-nz9dw7fv8s]

Watching those drones race is like watching a Star Wars space fight. Cool!! 👍🏼👍🏼😎

[@chrisvielle6629]

Watching the evolution of drone racing the past years is everything I hoped for. It's way cheaper now to get into the hobby. I'm addicted to freestyle, chasing birds ( respectfully) is something I never thought I would be doing ever...

[@jose420parra3]

This is gonna blow up in more way then we can imagine!!!

[@pewcfpv8056]

Used to be into the hobby years ago but quickly realized it gets expensive VERY fast when learning to fly because of the crashes. Maybe I'll get back into it one day when I'm making more money lol. Definitely one of the most fun hobbies I've ever had.

[@henryairconcepts2999]

It’s relatively cheap compare to helicopters.

[@YeetLord666]

@@henryairconcepts2999 This is a FACT! I have both and my helicopter is almost twice as expensive. I am almost ready to sell all my planes and helis so I can keep buying more drones.

[@Corin11]

Use a simulator like velocidrone (best one) to hone your skills first

[@infiniteefpv]

Cheaper than racing cars, that's what I always say LOL

[@AnatomyJane]

I'd rather a crashed one than a lost one. It's a fun sport/activity.

[@brianseo477]

This looks amazing. I'm glad I live in this timeline.

[@mikeallenfpv]

FPV FTW 🤘thanks for covering this

[@DENMONKEY]

Nice to see a positive story on drones for a change

[@johndoe09]

This is not sport This is war weapons.

[@burn1gotbeats]

One day I’m get my hands on one of these rigs

[@nenaandjag2381]

Wow this is cool . Technology is taking over the world. Drones are so sweet. Of course there are gonna be crashes.

[@haven_lady675]

Just like nascar

[@cunnelatio]

Just got my first drone. It's a blast, and gives you perspective on how good these guys actually are.

[@LWAerialProductions]

Nothing beats FPV!

[@edrone_]

Welcome to the world of FPV mainstream! It is such a rewarding experience, completely out of body feeling and very free feeling!

[@Dimaz42]

besides drone racing, drone laser tag is also pretty fun to watch

[@TheFirehands150]

Now This is Pod Racing

[@cloroxbleach7554]

Now, this is the future

[@FPVslayer]

I love that they have him learning in ACRO mode. No self levelling around the DRL 😂

[@sqlevolicious]

DRL is awesome, and needs to be classified as an official FIA motorsport. The athletes compete at hand-to-eye coordination and reflexes on par with F1 and WRC drivers. It's so much more serious than people initially realize. The biggest hurdle is spectating FPV, which can be hard for a lot of people that experience motion sickness unless they are at the stadium in-person. But there are newer technologies coming out that artificially gimbal the movement with a high-res and fps 360 cam. Virtual sports already dominate, but still doesn't get the mainstream attention it deserves. ESPN should be covering this stuff more. People don't want to see a bunch of concussion-victims throwing a ball, they want to see high-anxiety excitement in sports, and DRL is perfect for that. Combined with battlebots and gaming, we have a very exciting future in sports to look forward to!

[@FAMINE_R1]

Dude, this is just an RC competition with a camera on your vehicle. That's it 😂 "classified as an official FIA motorsport"? Lol no chance, kid. Once these fellas are riding on their drones and have to deal with g-forces and the risks of crashing, then we can talk about it

[@ChirpFPV]

@@FAMINE_R1 something like this is also being developed

[@Gigasimo456]

The A in FIA stands for Automobile, think before you speak

[@hamingnu6610]

I'm not sure if this is entirely the most appropriate sport to place under the FIA's guidance, however, I definitely agree that there needs to be an even more widely-recognized place in the motorsports/drone sports world (which includes both physical racing and sim racing) for FPV-based racing. There's a lot of potential here to see loads of talent breaking barriers as to how these drones are used, and we're only at the start of the rise of these kinds of sports.

[@WokeNTokeN]

This looks badass

[@ToddIrwin]

I'd agree with the Conclusion, Best Is Yet To Come.

[@JoshuaBuser]

I am just getting into piloting and I feel inspired to know there is professional drone racing. Come to Omaha, we'll take good care of ya! Keep up the exciting work all.

[@billyyank5807]

No one's going to Omaha. Nothing there. And these aren't drones,they are uav's. Completely different.

[@ChirpFPV]

@@billyyank5807 uavs are classified as drones, ulvs(unmanned land vehicles) are also drones. Its easy to get the terms confused👍

[@AddMoreQuarters]

​@@billyyank5807how can you say there is nothing there in Omaha?

[@roeuth]

This is way better than Esports, it actually takes skills and looks like a lot of fun.

[@officialdjidronerobot9983]

드론 Dji 아바타 드론 dji fpv sbs!! 뉴스!! 새로운!! 드론 레이싱 🏁!!✈️🛩🚁🎮🕹😎 ❤❤❤❤

[@chrischungy]

I'm glad to be alive during🤯 these times.

[@HistoryNow]

Get these people to Ukraine!! They would be killer kamikaze drone pilots.

[@shaider1982]

I was thinking the same thing. Though after the war.

[@Michael-dq1qr]

No, not everyone wants to fight a war. They just want to do it for fun. The US should not put any US personnel in Ukraine.

[@ductgoosefpv]

First of this is bringing negative vibes somewhere it doesn't belong.... Also who do you think is building those Drones... Us the hobbyist. Racers, Freestyle pilots.

[@jak11d6]

I hate this opinion. It's all over. And it's completely different flying a hobby drone in a battlefield. Communication with a hobby drone in ukraine would be essentially impossible. You'd put on the goggles, and it would be static because of all the radio traffic. Even if you found you could take off, as soon as you were to get close to anything useful, you'd lose video and immediately crash. This is assuming you have a large ground station capable of receiving the drone signal from many miles away. Standard range is less than a mile for FPV. Yeah, the non fpv drones work just fine. That's because they use a different form of signal that's slower. Flying fpv requires a consistent frame rate or else you crash. Imagine flying at 80mph towards a target, then the video freezes for a full 2 seconds. You crash. The drone doesn't go "oh I should adjust myself", no it's 1-1 pilot controlling the drone millisecond by millisecond. It's just different technology.

[@HistoryNow]

@@jak11d6 kzbin.infoHa3R8pewSNA?feature=share

[@wallyg2752]

This is the beginning of some next Level futuristic society

[@KythiraBF]

Let's goo, we out here

[@zenimages]

This is the future of video games!!!!

[@morpheus5162]

I still can't get used to seeing this side of Vanover thrashtalking 😂😂

[@JoseLopez-du4kd]

The top guns of the drones. Awesome

[@WildHorseProductions]

It takes Jedi reflexes to fly these.

[@jameshattingh]

That bru couldn't have said it any better, it truly is the sport of the future.

[@armaanamod]

Loved DRL since the first race. Keep pushing!

[@pandiorbenget8392]

They are gonna mentoring our spacefighter pilot someday

[@Skunkhunt_42]

The new race circuits sponsored by Lockheed Martin, Northrup and Raytheon look super dope! Glad to see their investment finally coming into the sport. 🎉

[@RideRedRacer]

my friend filmed me climbing steep hillclimbs on my dirtbike with his drone. its a sight i have never seen before of myself

[@Kristof_InsertRandomText]

This is UP! 🎺 This is UP! 🎺 And this is DOWN! (this is down) 🎶 This is UP! 🎺 This is UP! 🎺 And this is DOWN! (this is down) 🎶 This is leaning to the SIDE, SIDE to SIDE And this is TURNING around 🎶 UP and DOWN, and UP and DOWN, and UP and DOWN and UP and DOOOOWWWWWN! 🎶

[@RookieRay]

When is it coming to Australia?

[@geordil]

drone racing is big in australia!

[@ChirpFPV]

There are many drone races in australia, just not the drl franchise

[@JimYeats]

“It’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them”.

[@rutherford5247]

This is the future baby~

[@coreysuffield]

this is now, it is easy to say it is the future when they are already at an exciting point, you probably would not have said this is the future when it was just 3-5 guys sitting in lawn chairs at some abandoned building site with some scrapped together drones with vhs quality video headsets

[@JKropenske]

Now THIS is podracing

[@LIONTAMER3D]

Literally the best thing ever!

[@csiistandard]

This is the future of USA's Air Force fighter jets. Fighter drones!!

[@kokoblokoFPV]

everyone is gangsta until mck joins :D

[@MadDragon75]

Right?!

[@kayo8747]

this is the kind of thing that those early 2000s scifi movies would depict that were supposedly so farfetched that we thought we would never have one of these one day

[@christiancrow]

Now that’s a sport ! ❤ they use there brains 🧠 ❤

[@bluelabel6444]

Their

[@RCRitterFPV]

Very cool to see our hobby get some spotlight. Vanny is a Robot ... cool dude though does amazing things with a quad

[@INOCENTCIVILIAN316]

This is actually very cool

[@eilois]

Pretty sure 5 millions TikTok is different from KZbin . Because F1 have 8 millions

[@kindnuguz]

at least drone rc is getting national attention.. But even the drone people know where they actually came from. ROAR was the original and has died off a lot in the last 10 years.. But ROAR \ RC racing is more or less a look at what cars will go through... from Nitro to LiPo . But thankfully some part of RC racing is getting the spotlight. BTW you FPV racers are insane.. I get motion sick in FPV so I stuck to 1/10th scale onroad and some 1/12th scale pan cars. AND this FPV drone racing has been around for a while; 10-15ish years? I remember trying FPV in 2014-2015

[@christat5336]

The future brings wonders

[@CT37BN]

There's a definite use for these players and their drones in other sensitive areas

[@Lolpopi8547]

And they are being used to great effectiveness in those..... sensitive areas,

[@MikeJones-oe3do]

These guys are much needed in Ukraine

[@Super_64]

The derelict Los Angeles sign is a nice touch to the city itself

[@jjdogz25]

I live in NYC where can I buy or build a racing drone I would definitely love to join a team

[@GaelicCelt1990]

Where do I sign up?

[@nickwinn]

They're not that many parts in the drones I used to build and race. Smells like BS... However I'm excited this is becoming more of a thing.

[@geordil]

lol probably counting every single component on every pcb XD

[@rossdouglas7115]

Yeah they're counting each one of the 900 LEDs as a part.

[@scenenuf]

1:04 "It's almost like horse racing, but except for when you watch you get to be on the horse in the race as well" Why did he say it like that 🥴

[@nealgutierrez4581]

Can't wait for the world cup and I can't wait to watch team Iran.

[@xosky474]

I'm glad to see Cisco landed on his feet.

[@latestepic]

This is future

[@astrojetson4958]

I remember when they stopped posting the races on you tube and went to espn. I totally forgot about drl till seeing this video

[@melissa16melz]

I didn't know this existed til today ... wow

[@Tiny_Toon_Adventures]

Which game will help me practice to be a drone racer?

[@ImGrippinNow]

Lift off

[@ChirpFPV]

In my opinion velocidrone is the best one but there are many different simulators to consider, there are some helpful videos up here on youtube

[@nathanxu666]

Now this is podracing

[@3DPrintingWithDaz]

This is an American sport i do like.

[@mammontustado9680]

2:38 he said "holy fk"

[@LFNZE]

is like F1 but flying. But without having to risk your life lol

[@Xtariz]

Drone racers will be good drone operators in a war

[@bitronicc1887]

“How much did your total rig cost?” “About 12 grand” “Wow, that's quite the investment!” “Oh my Dad paid for it” 🙄

[@goldtownmma]

Dope

[@user-qj9bu5oj6s]

actually younger people under 10-12yrs old have a better hand controls than adult, but the more they grow their dexterity are becoming less. In the end only their experience are keeping them in pro level.

[@scott_itall8638]

The CyberMen are nearly complete.

[@yeetonykp4569]

Just like F1, needs sponsors, business funding, pumping in the money, selling merchandise, ......

[@kcdiazWTV]

Can the flight path be programmable?

[@greenfairy549]

I want to learn this

[@GameplayRunner]

The thumbnail looks like a cyberpunk DLC

[@ScootLogix]

Love it, she used the phrase "Elite Athletes".😂

[@southsidesteez5452]

POV boomers becoming aware of FPV

[@arvont1]

Every FPV Drone driver when WW3 starts and they immediately get drafted to fly Reaper drones: 👁👄👁

[@sn350channel]

TBH beats a bunch of men shooting a ball through the hoop

[@StevenNess]

they should have multiple drone pilots that are just the cameramen and they follow the drones, but more for nice camera shots.

[@ductgoosefpv]

Lol ya that's basically impossible and the "shots" would be in fractions of seconds.

[@StevenNess]

@@ductgoosefpv That's a very good point, instead of having the drone cameramen be stationary, they should probably almost be part of the race, zooming back and forth following the drones. Like another racer, but without all the lights? Great point though, thanks.

[@YeetLord666]

They are... it's the other drones. Why have other drones in the way, when if you want to see what the battle between Vanny and Halo looks like, you can just cut to Mondo, or Maverick's camera to view what's going on in the heat for 1st. I see what you're saying, but it would just add more stuff in the air for the pilots to run into.

[@StevenNess]

@@YeetLord666 as you say, I really like the views from the competitor drones, this is often the best part of the stream, it feels like you are in the drivers seat. I think another couple drones though that are dedicated camera operators, maybe just going back and forth between a couple points to follow the action at certain parts might be nice. But these pure camera drones might clutter up the field like you mention, so now I'm not so sure.

[@crunchTwist]

Wouldn't the best solution to this be adding an additional camera to each racing drone, maybe a rear-facing one that can be accessed by the producers live? I'm completely dumb to the logistics of such a solution, but it solves the problem of cluttering the field and would provide some different, high-intensity angles of overtakes/crashes etc. No need for extra pilots, just producers. And it's something that, if added to every drone, wouldn't be unfair to any specific team. Interesting idea anyway great little glance at the sport

[@leamgodfrey7445]

The fighter pilots of the future

[@TrainerAQ]

Sick! I gotta see this!

[@nwilt7114]

coming closer to pod racing everyday