Spreading the word: the 1st FAI World Drone Racing Championships press conference

The FAI travelled to Shenzhen in China earlier this month to take part in a press conference to promote the first-ever FAI World Drone Racing Championships – due to take place in Shenzhen later this year.

Attended by FAI officials including Secretary General Susanne Schödel and Executive Director Bengt Lindgren, the press conference also involved a number of important representatives of both the organising committee and local government.

Korea's JeHyeong Jeon wins FAI Daegu Drone Race World Cup

Homegrown pilots dominated the 2018 FAI Daegu Drone Race World Cup in Daegu, Korea last weekend, with teenage drone ace JeHyeong Jeon delighting the crowds with a compelling winning performance. 

Jeon received his prize at the Closing Ceremony held on September 9, at which he was joined by fellow Korean pilots YoungRok Son, MinChan Kim, and ChangHyeon Kang  in second, third and fourth places.

Shaping the Future at the FAI International Drones Conference 2018

The 2018 FAI International Drones Conference and Expo finished on Sunday 2 September after a weekend of “intense, exciting and innovative discussion”.

Over three days Drone Sports, Safety and Innovation were the three subjects under discussion in the conference hall, where 35 speakers from across the world of drones and aviation spoke over three sessions.

Moritz ‘Lazy’ Werffeli wins EPFL Drone Racing Cup 2018

Moritz Werffeli won the EPFL Drone Racing Cup 2018 at the EPFL Drone Days on Sunday 2 September, part of the FAI Drone Racing World Cup Series.

The pilot came out top on the final race after three days of competition. Fifty-eight pilots from seven countries took part.

Werffeli, 25, from Zurich, Switzerland competes under the nickname ‘Lazy’.

“It’s the first FAI race I have attended,” he said. “It was a cool race, cool people, good track. I enjoyed.”

Showcasing the new world of drones

From racing drones to helping to map the world, the real-time world of drones was on display all weekend at the EPFL Drone Days in Lausanne.

As part of a dedicated ‘drone weekend’ at EPFL, a leading technology university in Switzerland, the cutting-edge EPFL Robotics Showcase provided a platform for some of the hottest new ideas and applications in drones, while the EPFL Drone Racing Cup showed off drone racing at its finest.

Inspirational Innovation at the FAI International Drones Conference 

Innovation was the theme of the FAI International Drones Conference on Saturday afternoon – and there was no shortage of it on display.

From drone wind-turbines that promise a never-ending supply of clean energy, to drone ‘guard dogs’ patrolling the perimeter of mansions in Beverly Hills, conference speakers showed there is no limit to how drones are set to affect our lives.