Organisers said that it formed a new and innovative part of the state’s Sankranti celebrations. People from across India took part in the competitions and events.
Hyderabad:Drones raced at 180 kmph on Friday during the Telangana Drone Festival, the first public event of its kind in the state. The event brought together drone pilots and technology fans and wowed families who had gathered at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli.
Organisers said that it formed a new and innovative part of the state’s Sankranti celebrations. People from across India took part in the competitions and events.
Rudraksha Reddy, CBO of Whoopmasters India, said, “The government aimed at bringing new technology and fun to the Sankranti festival season. This is the first time we are seeing such a large-scale drone competition in Telangana.”
“We are organising a drone race and a drone soccer competition. The drone race is similar to a Formula 1 race, where teams participate in races around a circuit. We added obstacles which they have to cross, and be the fastest among everyone to win.”
He said first-person view (FPV) drones were used in this race, with the drones clocking 170-180 kmph around the track.
The drone soccer competition, similar to a regular football match but with drones, was also conducted where teams flew drones in the air trying to score goals using a football drone.
There was also an remote-controlled plane airshow, featuring small and light remote-controlled aircraft performing loops and turns in the sky above the stadium. Rakesh, a pilot, said “These are very light aircraft, often made with foam. We have movable rudders, aileron flaps and elevators on these aircrafts, giving us the accessibility to maneuver the flight in different ways.”
“We did not expect to see such huge crowds. We were completely sold out for today’s event, and are almost close to filling the bookings for Saturday’s event as well. We will showcase Telangana’s history and heritage, along with monuments using drones during the drone show on Saturday”, Rudraksha Reddy added.
The qualifiers and semi-qualifiers for the drone soccer competition and race were organised on Friday. On Saturday, the final day of the event, the finals for both the competitions along with a drone marathon race and a grand 300+ drones show will be conducted, with tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao and other officials attending the event.
