When you think of all the racers out there that are making their mark on the drone-racing circuit, one person that always seems to be in the thick of things is Bapu Madhu. He competes on both a national and international level with all of the top racers out there. He is known for his consistency and managing to place on the podium at a number of events. To top it off, he is, without a doubt, one of the nicest people you will ever meet on the racing circuit. We were fortunate enough to spend a Saturday morning out at Bapu’s favorite flying park with him and his family as he practices for the upcoming Aloha Cup in Hawaii.
RotorDrone: How did you get interested in flying quads/ racing?
Bapu Madhu: A close group of friends got into racing; we got bored of freestyle pointless flying. Racing quads was like playing a video game on steroids, and now we are totally addicted.
What is the longest distance that you’ve traveled to attend a race?
Dubai for the World Drone Prix in 2016.
What was the best race you’ve attended?
The World Drone Prix in Dubai was the best race I’ve attended. It is one of those locations that had always been on my bucket list; it is a great world destination. This was one of the most epic locations in the world for people to come and race. The budget for this race was phenomenal! From what we heard, the track alone cost over seven million dollars. The gates were engineered just for this track, so they moved into different formations. Best of all, if you qualified, all expenses— everything—for your whole team was paid for. To top it off, the track was unlike anything else we had ever seen in any race before.
How many hours a week do you practice?
Esta historia es de la edición November/ December 2016 de RotorDrone.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November/ December 2016 de RotorDrone.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Windracers Mail Delivery
With its partner Windracers Ltd., Royal Mail has become the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island in a 70-mile, beyond-line-of-sight, autonomous flight to the Scilly Isles. Tasked to better connect the islands’ remote communities, a consortium including Royal Mail, Windracers Ltd., DronePrep, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services, and Consortiq Limited is funded by UK Research and Innovation.
Counting Penguins
Counting penguins is harder than it sounds. With freezing rain, snow, and chilling winds that limit the flight windows for the surveys, it takes scientists using three full days to map the location of 300,000 nesting pairs of Adélie penguins on Antarctica’s Cape Crozier.
A Drone Double Play
Beach cleanup and a historic bridge
Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts
Signs and symbols every remote pilot needs to know
10 TOP JOBS
Fields where drones are taking off!
AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE
Can autonomous drones deliver supplies to troops in an active firefight? DroneUp recently partnered with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Joint Force Development (JFD) exercise to find out.
IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
10 must-know Lightroom tips
UAS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT The Key to the Future of Drones
In 2012, Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which established a deadline for the agency: achieve full integration of drones into the airspace by 2015. As the calendar rolls over into 2021, this begs an obvious question: “Are we there yet?”
FLYING FOR A LIVING
A professional UAS operator on what it takes to be successful
ON THE WING
This bird-like drone is incredibly agile and efficient
