Drone enthusiasts from all over and conglomerating at Spaceport America, the world first purpose-built commercial spaceport in southern New Mexico in early November 2016. By partnering up with the New Mexico Film Give Back, the International Cinematographers Guild, as well as the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), they are able to bring together a huge number of events and activities across a three day period, ranging from workshops, to cinematography, to what we love best here, drone racing.
The Spaceport America Drone Summit, as it is being called, is set to feature four main activities. FPV (First Person View) Drone Racing, R/C Fixed Wing Aircraft Demos, Drone Workshops, and an Aerial Cinematography Challenge. Spectators and participants alike are set up to have excellent views of the races and demos, as well as the live music and access to the local vendors bringing in the food and beverages.
“This is a first-of-its-kind of event at Spaceport America designed to bring drone enthusiasts from the film industry, FPV racing circuit, drone manufacturing and regulating bodies together for an amazing three days.” said Tammara Anderton, Vice President Business Development Spaceport America.
The AMA has decided on three different race types for pilots to compete in, along with the thousands of dollars in the prize pool for the winners. The first race style is listed as “4-Cell FPV Drone Race”, where quads ranging from 210mm-315mm can compete, provided they are using a 4-Cell LiPo battery. The second race is titled “Race-what-you-brought FPV Drone Race”, where you can race whatever quadcopter you brought with you, provided they use a 3-4 cell LiPo battery. The Final race type is the huge “25-Lap Team FPV Drone Race”, which includes pit stops for pilots due to its length. All extra rules for the events can be found here
The original article with all the extra information you could possibly need can be found here