Andrew Meyer posing a photo at the 2016 Drone Nationals in this August 2016 handout photo
Andrew Meyer is a 26-year-old university student from Port Alberni, B.C. who pilots competitively under the moniker of ‘MayMayDay’. In order to compete with the rest of the professional scene, he has practically placed his education on partial hiatus while he heads out to fly at races in Canada, the U.S., Dubai, and South Korea. Meyer was one of the 15 international drone racers invited to South Korea’s Chuncheon Drone Race World Cup, along with nearly 100 South Korean participants. The event took place at the 20,000 seat Chuncheon city stadium. He also recently placed 10th at the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships at Governor’s Island, NY, and has qualified for the Drone World Championships in Hawaii this October.
“I love trying new things,” said Meyer. “The freedom of flight has always been interesting to me.”
“Anyone can put on goggles and feel exactly what the pilot’s feeling,” he continued. “You and thousands of people can be racing around the course through your drone. I think of drone racing as the better version of Formula One car racing.”
Meyer has high hopes for the future of the sport, envisioning a potential future with a drone-racing circuit, much like a unique take on the Grand Prix in auto racing. He’s been addicted to drone racing ever since he started exploring the world, pushing his master’s degree in biomedical engineering to the back of his life.
“When I started my master’s at the University of British Columbia the drone racing was only starting to get big,” he said. “It was just a hobby for me. It’s a fine balance now between my master’s and the drone world. Fortunately, my professor is very understanding of what I’m doing with drones.”
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