as one of the organizers for the event (as a volunteer and not one of the major organizers) i respect this explanation immensely. I saw the same issues, though i did see them differently, as you. One of the big issues that caused many of the smaller problems is simply culture shock. I live in hawaii and moved from boston. There is a huge difference in how we in hawaii approach a problem and it does not lend itself to an event like this. Also, we here are used to the weather, having to spend 10 min readjusting a schedule due to weather is part of our daily lives. This, obviously caused a disconnect between the pilots and the organizers, at least those from hawaii, simply because we didnt freak out about the rain, we just kind of went on as usually which i could see being very frustrating to the racers. Thank you for this explanation and thank you for not attacking the organizers or the pilots but rather encouraging a more productive community!
YOUR personal philosophies are why you're one of the best pilots. Servant Leadership is what's it's all about. BIG KUDOS to you! That being said I participated in two "extreme sports" in their infancy as an Amateur and a Pro. Full Factory Sponsorship, was paid to play, traveled the world, TV and radio shows, ALL THAT STUFF. One now is an Olympic Sport the other well on it's way. EVERYONE of the issues you point out were VERY MUCH what both sports BEGAN like. It took people like yourself and other visionaries to ride out the rough spots and BLAZE a trail. It sucked BIG TIME being promised one thing and getting another but to look back, it was well worth because of the friendships and experiences. Continue doing EVERYTHING you do, the sport needs guys like you. It will get worse before it gets BETTER.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that! I will continue doing everything that I am, and I can't wait to see what's next. I want the community to grow, and the hobby to go mainstream, and I hope that I can affect change with it. Do you have any other advice for me along the way? If so, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Great message at the end. Sometimes people just react without thinking and sometimes, heck, sometimes they're just kids and they don't know better. Ultimately though you're right: it's up to us to come together as a community and solve a problem. Great stuff man, thank you for posting it.
Finally sat down and watched this. I thought you did a great job explaining all the issues, both on the organizers side and pilots side - and totally agree that to fix it, we all need to come together and solve the problems versus pointing the fingers. Congrats on second place man!
Mini Quad Club yeah buddy I'm in full agreement.. @Bulbufet FPV You did a stand up job posting this video! If not for any other reason, at least it brings light to the subject, and for those who haven't taken the plunge into Drone Racing at Huge events like this...Thank you for this awesome video, keep on kicking butt and posting videos my dude!
Wasn't there. And, I'm a total newbie to FPV - but just subscribed to you after watching this video. Very balanced, well thought out & well spoken video. Thank you! Guys like you are great ambassadors for this hobby. Thank you for being you!
I think this was a great comprehensive overview of the dynamics of this event. And I think the overall and last point shows that even with the frusteration of the event, that you are a great voice for this sport.
I have no idea why a remote location in Hawaii was chosen. Makes everything harder. Rain is pretty predictable in Hawaii - it comes regularly - and in the right season - every day. Just seems poorly thought out from the get-go.
Paul, im watching these like a hawk to see what events are doing wrong, or any snags they have. thank you for showing the best and the worse of the situation that could've been better.
Really enjoyed your video. As someone that would have loved to be there it helps hearing about what took place first hand. Listening to your account of this competition sounds like a fledgling sport trying to find it's wings. It would have been an honor to get the opportunity to fly along side so many talented individuals. Getting the right people in place for future events is a must though. Enjoy the experience for what it was and learn to improve on every level for the betterment of the sport.
In many sports, organizers don't wait for competitions. In my opinion, if a pilot is not ready when start is scheduled, race starts without the pilot. It is that simple.
That's pretty much my take on it, particularly with regards to the positives - that's why my blog post was written in such a way - reflecting back, looking at the pictures of the community, the location etc, I can luckily mostly takeaway positives :] big up for the shoutout :D
Very level headed, well spoken assessment of a crappy situation. You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for with these events, your voice and opinions will absolutely help form the future of this sport. At the end of the day it's about having fun.
Your video, well said and well done. I'm a racer and I run events. Bringing issues from the "Worlds" to light, helps guys like myself know the details/issues on how to run a good race event. Learn from the mistakes! Thank you!
All good points, I could add a little from the other group point of view: - Small track was suppose to make up for technical challenges. It was much more fun if you ask me. So the idea of getting best of small and fast track was actually very nice. Most of your remarks still apply, but it was more fun :) Shame it was going slow, pity the timing system cable was to short, pity it failed in the end :) Pity it got scrapped. - There was huge amount of time spent on waiting for pilots (absolutely evident on small track). I participated in two events where IRC tramp was used and I could not believe we did not do the same in Hawaii. "your out" was not used enough to compensate for waiting. Sure if heats would be known prior to the event everyone could have set VTX accordingly. - It was a large event and getting to hear / know status was a challenge. This could have been improved at no cost (we all had mobiles) - Crashing meant getting stuck in the long grass, bit of a shame nothing was done about it, event and competition would benefit from people being able to take off after a crash and continue. As the name suggests I was kinda keen on that :D Cheers
takes a lot to voice your real option. you are always positive and that is what this community needs, learn from mistakes and get better. very logical and unemotional non drama video
Nice feedback on the event dude! I have to say that having a World Class event I was expecting a lot of good a new things about it... but considering that its an all new sport, it might be hard to get everything in place and try to prevent all the little variables that can make ppl frustrated or angry about something. We cant forget that we're leaving an isle of having people having fun with a hobby to something really serious and competitive. It has this huge potential of being really fun and successful but sometimes you cant expect both, of having fun and have everybody happy about it. Its a competition, people will get disappointed and frustrated at times, and that alone can bring a whole lot of issues into the matter if not really dealt with. Again congrats on the 2nd place and I hope the next event turns out to have lot less hiccups.
Exactly. And that's the goal. We have to find a way to make sure that everything becomes FAIR and that we aren't just wasting money by going to exotic places for these sorts of competitive events. Every variable needs to point back to good, fair racing, rather than to exhibitionism.
Glad you have the bravery, humility & insight to make this video Paul! Totally agree that we all need to be humble enough to learn from this experience & contribute to being part of the solution. :) Wondering if there is any merit in capturing all these lessons somewhere on the web to help collaborate, share thoughts, ideas & tips on what makes a world-class event? or if anyone is already doing this? Would be great to see any organisation or pilot around the world can contribute & further advance the hobby.
Very wise words... have you thought about running against Trump next time? :-) But seriously, everyone should aim to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Bruce, I can only stomach so much BS at a time. I'm not sure I'd be cut out for politics. :P That being said, thanks so much for stoping by! I appreciate the comment. :-)
I agree with literally 99% of everything you said.... I could add to it - regarding the "sponsored teams" portion of the events - other than that - great info Paul. I appreciate your time and effort to bring certain things to the front for all to understand without adding to problem like most have done. Keep up the great work - AND Congratulations!!
Bulbufet FPV oh yeah I know, I think I may have came off wrong, I wasn't meaning you should've mentioned more - just saying that there was more that could be said. I greatly appreciate you taking the time and effort to stick your neck out to bring certain issues to the surface for those that either were not involved or just wanted to escalate things in the wrong direction. Sometimes it takes a standup guy like you to open up people's minds to what "needs" to be done and not just what's "easiest"....
Never done drone racing yet but even at club level auto and kart racing... if you ain't ready to go on time you don't go or if your allowed to go your rolling out late. Give people a set time window to start tell them they have x amount or something and if they don't start in that window it ads to their time.
"demonstrating what it means to be a good race event" I think that is what we did this weekend. Albeit, it was only 40 pilots, but spread the same thing over several days , and it would work for 200.
Man i was so excited about attending this.... unfortunately i wasn't able to make it. But after watching this, sounds like it was kind of a let down. I could handle pilots getting behind, this kind of event is new and it can be hard to setup......but 3 restrooms, not paid within thirty days, no trophies, Sharpie to show you got 2nd on a mini tiki? Man, for as much as we love this hobby, you would think the people hosting it would atleast attempt to make it special for everyone involved. Congrats on 2nd and thanks for sharing. SUBBED.
Well said man. I haven't looked at the comments yet, I am sure people called you whiny or whatnot, but what you said was 'constructive criticism' IMHO and you nailed it. "Servant Leadership", you said (loved that). If you want to lead an event you need to realize all that that entails and then do it right. I want this sport to be successful as well. Keep on keepn' on bro!
Nice summary of the issues at the first Drone World Championships. And good on you for asking for constructive criticism (thats where everyone needs to identify the problems and offer ways to correct them instead of just complaining). I was there to observe, but only caught the last day of the finals. Future events will be better because of what was learned here. Granted, logistics are an issue traveling to Hawaii, but it's a great location with awesome terrain. Yeah, going to Las Vegas would be easier with boring weather (Tip: good pilot loves adverse weather because his less experienced competition might not be able to deal with it. I'll take that advantage anyway). But future World Champs will probably be in even more remote locations (China, Eastern Europe, South America) and you'll remember that Hawaii was at least in the good old USA. I've been a 3-time USA Team member (R/C Soaring) and would have loved the relative simplicity of "just" going to Hawaii. And yes, the event should have been directed by the most experienced person, but at this level you're gonna see a lot of "political" decisions (OK, "office politics") and many of those decisions won't make sense unless you think in those terms. Thanks for putting out this video. I hope it goes a long way towards improving future events by getting everyone on the same page with the same goal of improving THEIR contests.
Nice roundup. It was nice to be out of the racing and in the Freestyle tent. We were chilled and had a pretty decent time. There's some things that could have been done differently there too, but all in all I considered it a success.
Glad to hear it. In the end, my worst fear for anyone was that they would consider it an utter waste of time, but in general it seems like everyone was able to have a good time in spite of that.
Yes, Las Vegas. But to be fair they have crappy weather too. I spent $350 on Reb Bull Air Races that were cancelled due to high winds. it was pretty windy last year too.
excuse us for being ages behind. new to the hobby and trying to take in as much "historical" info about events as we can before we turn up at 1. For what it's worth though we almost never get paid on the spot at our car races. Has to be cleared through vendors a lot of times and we'll get it a month or so later. A lot of the contingency type prizes we actually have to claim ourselves too.
you forgot to mention the biggest change of plans - 2 qualifying tracks becoming just one, thats what really ruined the number of runs, I was expecting 6 packs on each track, got 1 on one that meant nothing and 3 on the main(split over 2 days)
Excellent wrap at the end. We feel the same way here on Maui. I run the majority of the events on this island & it is not an easy task. I have to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Not make a group of people wait while one is fiddling with their equipment (for example). WE, the community need to make this better. It's easy for everyone to throw blame around, but it's difficult to step up and produce AND execute a viable plan. Aloha
Paul you did a great job presenting the pros and cons of the event. I really like the idea of holding future events in Vegas or someplace similar. Reliable weather and much cheaper to travel to. I think as the next 6 months pass more Vtx products will be released to simplify channel assignments/selection so that aspect of racing won't be such a cluster fu@&.
It sounds like someone tried to put something together to quickly. Hopefully everyone learned from the experience and can help make the next one better. I always say if you have a complaint you should also have a option to fix it.
Nurk you stepped up said your two cents and ended with problem solving thoughts. I just subscribed , cause this is the kind of stuff that gets things accomplished. Great job! This is a new sport with it’s own issues aside from drone regulation and fpv issues. If everyone tried to be part of how to resolve issues rather than part of the problem, all will be just fine. 2nd is first loser btw lol 😂 great job nurk keep it up !
Thanks, Paul Sounds like there needs to be a set of rules or standards that becomes uniform, I.e. Supplied Vr stations that you plug into, Standard heat/race format, etc. Someone should call a meeting of experienced racers and race organizers to make these things official. At least you will know what you are getting into. Just my two cents. Peace
just be happy that ur doing something u enjoy, I love my helis and like my quads, but still just r.c = kids with toys, cant expect it to be taken too seriously. no risk in the sport and u dont have to be an athlete so be happy for that!
Years ago I hosted large scale events. I wonder how hard it would be to mainstream a race? To get pilots to go. I have two locations I can rent out that have parking for well over 300 cars and nearly 30 acres of fields divided by tree lines and antique walls. I already own 20 gates and two cubes with more than enough ground markers. I could fund through my non profit and give 100% to the pilot podium. I'm connected with the common ground land trust so locations are no issue. I'm no podium racer but I have decades of organization experience and nationally recognized event coordination. How can someone get involved without getting shooed away? Not smoke blowing here. I could throw an event together properly within a month. Better than what you speak of.
If the people that put this together keep doing events like that drone racing wont survive that long you dont see nascar or motor gp or f1 doing that kind of thing especially a world event like this.
1. VTX - I had just 2 times vtx failures: 1- vtx frozen because of zip tie keeping button pushed on; 2-antenna issue and I was sure it's VTX issue (but hey.. it was working before :D ) 2. Dubai - did the pilots get paid at the end of the day? :)
And again.... everyone posted their fun fly around houses and trees, when came to race... issues with the quads... I j-u-s-t d-o-n't g-e-t i-t.... But yes... thanks for this review. It makes me more afraid of next events. To pay lot of money to get far away from home and go through the same experience with bar/poor event again and again. I feel your pain guys.
Do you water proof everything for Hawaii or just leave it? I assume not everyone would take the time to water proof everything. Did you have any issues crashing in the rain?
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Thank you Paul, I was hoping someone would do this video, we had a lot of fun but... very bad organized! WHO is going to make the Drone Worlds 2017 ??? very confused
Holy Jesus, what a shit show :D The trophy story was really the cream of the crop :D They do look really awesome though, apart from the sticker and marker lol.
Wow!! cash awards for $500 racing drones? At a rc turbine powered events pilots barely get a pat on the shoulder with his 8k model. I'm changing my hobby lol
Sounds to me like they've got zero funds. Maybe spent it all on nationals? Organizers being organized is great but you can't make a world class event without some capital.
Yes we were, my son competed (Thomas). I still haven't done my video on the event, but when I do I'm taking the easy way out and just focussing on the adventure and all the awesome people we met. The most difficult question we get asked is "How was the words". And in all honestly it was Fantastic and terrible lol I actually dreaded being asked that question when we got back to Australia. We were really lucky in that just before heading over to Hawaii, FGA called me to warn me that it may not be what we expect. So we went in with that in mind. I'm happy you touched on the expectations of overseas competitors.
It just sounds like DSA has no clue what they were/are doing. Sadly, when things start to grow like this, many people come out and get involved for all the wrong reasons (usually people think it's a cash grab). Look at RC cars. IFMAR Worlds is 9 days of BS. 9 days of which 8 are qualifying. This year, the TQ didn't even make the main. How does a TQ NOT make a main? I see Drone Racing going the same route sadly. Events should be much shorter. 1 day of practice, one day of qualifying, one day of LCQ's and the mains. Qualifying needs to be simple. Every racer gets 3 qualys and then a chance at a LCQ. I can't believe that it seemed like everything was improvised on the spot, even the trophies!?! And how do you not have redundancies on timing equipment when that is the WHOLE reason people race. To see who has the fastest time right? It's events like this that will keep this wonderful burgeoning sport from being anything other than a niche novelty to the mainstream. PS, congrats on second. I find it a slap in the face for you that you are #2 in the world and you get $2500 (that you still haven't received, but hey, you do have that awesome hand written trophy). Seems like a bad joke.
Awesome video explaining what happened on the day!!! However if I didn't create RIPDSA, we the pilots that got F$&@ed, wouldn't have a voice, we would have left Hawaii and the world would have thought DSA is amazing and some people just like complaining. If you guys did it at DN16, we wouldn't be here now!! I still think the only problem with that event was the person in charge of it all, he over sold, under performed and wouldn't have done any better with more budget or time. He had chances to salvage it while the comp was on but he is not capable of hosting such events! No one would have cared about the shitty track or toilets if we actually got to fly what we were told. I went to Osan Korea race the past weekend and this what I expected at DW16. KAMA was amazing, can't wait to attend and support the next race of anyone that actually have the interest of the pilots at heart!!!!! Was awesome to meet you all, but I would have rather wanted to fly with you at a proper event, than just sit around all day in one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world!!
Very well explained ...i would have done a same video but after watching yours ...i totally agree with everything ....11:20 u mentioned a lot of pilot weren't ready ..to that aspect i can tell u a lot of those pilots we're Freestyling at the same time and judging in freestyle which made it STRESSED AND CONFUSION running back and forth from event to event and have to change vtx channel and antenna every single time ;( NOT that I wasn't ready or anything but ORGANIZER could have made this run a lot more smooth ;) There we're a lot of problems but like u said ...the ones that were there REALLY tried their best ;) Good video ...i will share this on my FB since i think u got everything covered except the fact of freestyle running at the same time as race ;)
Unfortunately, I wasn't a part of freestyle, so I didn't feel like I could comment on it. You should definitely do a video on freestyle -- I'd watch the crap out of that! :-)
Seems like Drone Worlds was a step too big (by trying to be something it could not deliver), and that's normal and acceptable. Too bad for people that had invested a lot to be there and had their expectations crushed, but well, that's life, specially talking about something that is still taking form as FPV Racing. I believe organizers and pilots could benefit a lot by looking how other similar events work, such as RC car racing (there was a IFMAR World Championship in Las Vegas not long ago) or FAI events as the ones I was able to go representing Brazil (rc glider classes such as F3J and F3K). It's fun, it's organized, it's serious when it needs to be and most important: it has a tight schedule. If the pilot is not ready when he should be, too bad,... there is no such thing as holding the entire event for one guy with technical issues, specially because those issues could be checked before that last moment, and there is always spare equipment.. Pilots must find a way to be heard and have free talk with organizers (by technical meetings before and after the race, daily briefings...) so things like course configurations can be worked by people who know what they are doing.
Not paid yet? Bummer. I saw the course and I thought it seemed like a long and expensive way to go for essentially a backyard track. That trophy is a joke too. Coolest trophy I ever saw in Drone Racing was the Detroit Multirotor Cup, the top 3 got to keep the quad they actually flew during the race when I heard that from Eric Milewski I was jelly as fuck! There's a right way and a wrong way to drone race and it sounds like DRA missed the mark so sad. Nice review.
i AGREE with you fully now lets say i was a spectator sitting in the pits yes i was not supposed to be there but i got to see the problems first hand people not being ready was an issue i remember waiting 20-35 mins in between some races i organizer also have their problems im pretty sure that the ESPN cup was a thing and never happen to my knowledge pilates that were not ready sold have been dq and lot of it did come down to money they spent almost all their budget on the venue witch me being in hawaii stuff like this never happens it was cool to see something i love and people i like watching but was horrible to watch....
Its early days dude! i predict for the future epic wipeout style tracks with massive investment in permanent venues at top locations globally with super star status pilots and huge prizes. its just going to take time. lets all be positive about this and use this time to forge this sport into what we want it to be ! appi flying!
No. I have a German Shepherd dog and a cat, and they both shed like crazy. That being said, there's probably a beard hair or two in there. Thanks for pointing that out -- now I'm all conscious.
and you dont hold a world event in a place thats prone to tropical storms this time of year lol, it would have been better to have it in new mexico or texas i think. and the track was garbage
I do not think the sport is big enough, it is only expanding now, I mean I am only getting into it now. Give it time it will become bigger and better. Planning is key, you need to tell the pilots before hand what channels they are using, If you are not ready you are not ready simple as that. I liked your review good and honest, keep it up.
Great vlog. Mad "props" to ya. EZ access Locations for spectators and pilots make for bigger events. Bigger purses. Publicity will help bring sponsors / vendors and more PILOTS and my .02$ #SELAFPVie # multigp you're dead on about "world class" event and the expectationS that go with it. I'm a fan too.!
I can't speak much about the failures of the organization, but did you really complain about Hawaii being difficult. man what if this race was in Cambodia or Korea or some country that you actually needed a passport?! If you use the word Worlds you need to expect you are going to be in a slightly non-Normal environment.
I've not know what happened, but even if only half of what you said went down, that's f#$ked up. What a bad joke. DRONE WORLDS. Sounds like they just wanted to get the name out first, and to hell with a proper setup. Amateur at best.
why the hell is there as you say groups aiming at putting crap on the event instead they should be making groups aiming at working out how to fix the problems, how immature
In your comparisons of worlds and nationals, are they actually the same organizers? Will someone else be organizing future events or will there be a boycott? Will you be sitting out the future event in this complete debacle? LOL
Why can't people that are pointing out the issues be the same people who are working hard for the better? Why did you characterize them as people at odds with each other or blaming each other, or mutually exclusive? There's only been blame aimed at the organizers, at the people who dreamed up the event and institution to begin with, it's rightful blame. Sure you can blame the pilots for having expectations, but who doesn't have expectations of some kind? There is someone to blame, there is a person who thought it all up, and there is one person who failed...that is not opinion, that is fact...while I say that, I want to also say I work harder than most for the reputation and evolution of our hobby. I believe such blame should turn to the action and cooperation you speak of, it's actually progress personified and if turned to action would prevent future failures of this type..it would prevent people from being bamboozled again by snake oil salesmen, from having unrealistic expectations, even in light of continued warnings...it is not negative to point out the negative cancer, if no one calls it out, points it out, the community can never cut it out and grow from it...growth is sometimes painful. So please do not make those two things mutually exclusive, the people you may think are not helping, are helping and moving this hobby more than anyone else right now. And your video, it covers details that are unimportant in the grand scheme of things, they are the weeds of a large yard..
I hear what you're saying, and I don't think I agree. I think that there is a huge difference between making accusations of failure and being a servant leader that aims to solve problems. I'm not saying that there isn't a time and a place for pointing fingers and blaming, but I'm saying that the best way to do it is by being better. It's the equivalent of taking the moral high ground; don't tell people to be better. BE better.
I totally agree with that, and in my case, I have asked the community to be better by rejecting these types of snake oil salesmen to begin with. There was a person, a personality at the center of these events, he ruled it all, he impacted it all, I and many others have all brought him up, told stories and wrote articles and it's been going on for over a year. It is not "blame" for the failure of this event, no. It's a larger holistic issue of allowing the fox into the hen house...I am trying to find, identify and now kill the foxes in the eyes of public perception. That is perfectly ok if I look bad to many people, I have become a predator in order to protect this community from things much much worse than myself, and I hope the entire community sees that now. It's not about being negative, it's about trying to help, trying to get the word of warnings out, it is not baseless and the emotional cries of the disenfranchised as it has been characterized by my opposition and I find myself on very high moral ground...I would argue it's on higher moral ground because I am willing to sacrifice even my own reputation in order to reach my goal. I personally worked with that person, as you know I was on the ground floor when the organization started, but I still agree, living by example is the best way to be, and I feel I have done that too by walking away from it all and calling attention to it. I have organized races and funflys and meetups and all sorts of things, been doing it for ages, but now that it's all racing and money, I fear there's no reason too, based on the expectations of the pilots who all bought into the bull. Recognition is not given where it's due in this "industry" it's just a herd of cats fighting on scraps anyway, the bubble was never there to burst and you guys are all whining about not being able to "BEAT" each other on a level playing field, yet want cooperation so you can "BEAT" each other...by definition, racing is not cooperation, so there's that too...
as one of the organizers for the event (as a volunteer and not one of the major organizers) i respect this explanation immensely. I saw the same issues, though i did see them differently, as you. One of the big issues that caused many of the smaller problems is simply culture shock. I live in hawaii and moved from boston. There is a huge difference in how we in hawaii approach a problem and it does not lend itself to an event like this. Also, we here are used to the weather, having to spend 10 min readjusting a schedule due to weather is part of our daily lives. This, obviously caused a disconnect between the pilots and the organizers, at least those from hawaii, simply because we didnt freak out about the rain, we just kind of went on as usually which i could see being very frustrating to the racers.
Thank you for this explanation and thank you for not attacking the organizers or the pilots but rather encouraging a more productive community!
Thanks for dropping by! :-) Appreciate your feedback on what probably lead to becoming a multiplier.
Your points seemed right on and your finishing statement was great. Keep doing what your doing! Grats!
I promise to do so!
YOUR personal philosophies are why you're one of the best pilots. Servant Leadership is what's it's all about. BIG KUDOS to you! That being said I participated in two "extreme sports" in their infancy as an Amateur and a Pro. Full Factory Sponsorship, was paid to play, traveled the world, TV and radio shows, ALL THAT STUFF. One now is an Olympic Sport the other well on it's way. EVERYONE of the issues you point out were VERY MUCH what both sports BEGAN like. It took people like yourself and other visionaries to ride out the rough spots and BLAZE a trail. It sucked BIG TIME being promised one thing and getting another but to look back, it was well worth because of the friendships and experiences. Continue doing EVERYTHING you do, the sport needs guys like you. It will get worse before it gets BETTER.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that! I will continue doing everything that I am, and I can't wait to see what's next. I want the community to grow, and the hobby to go mainstream, and I hope that I can affect change with it.
Do you have any other advice for me along the way? If so, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Great message at the end. Sometimes people just react without thinking and sometimes, heck, sometimes they're just kids and they don't know better. Ultimately though you're right: it's up to us to come together as a community and solve a problem. Great stuff man, thank you for posting it.
Finally sat down and watched this. I thought you did a great job explaining all the issues, both on the organizers side and pilots side - and totally agree that to fix it, we all need to come together and solve the problems versus pointing the fingers. Congrats on second place man!
Mini Quad Club yeah buddy I'm in full agreement.. @Bulbufet FPV You did a stand up job posting this video! If not for any other reason, at least it brings light to the subject, and for those who haven't taken the plunge into Drone Racing at Huge events like this...Thank you for this awesome video, keep on kicking butt and posting videos my dude!
Wasn't there. And, I'm a total newbie to FPV - but just subscribed to you after watching this video. Very balanced, well thought out & well spoken video. Thank you! Guys like you are great ambassadors for this hobby. Thank you for being you!
I think this was a great comprehensive overview of the dynamics of this event. And I think the overall and last point shows that even with the frusteration of the event, that you are a great voice for this sport.
I have no idea why a remote location in Hawaii was chosen. Makes everything harder. Rain is pretty predictable in Hawaii - it comes regularly - and in the right season - every day. Just seems poorly thought out from the get-go.
Hawaii is like a different world - stunning!
i like your attitude, matches to what i think in general with rc hobby people. everyone is always ready to help and assist whatever the problem is
Totally agreed.
Paul, im watching these like a hawk to see what events are doing wrong, or any snags they have. thank you for showing the best and the worse of the situation that could've been better.
My pleasure!
Really enjoyed your video. As someone that would have loved to be there it helps hearing about what took place first hand.
Listening to your account of this competition sounds like a fledgling sport trying to find it's wings. It would have been an honor to get the opportunity to fly along side so many talented individuals. Getting the right people in place for future events is a must though. Enjoy the experience for what it was and learn to improve on every level for the betterment of the sport.
In many sports, organizers don't wait for competitions. In my opinion, if a pilot is not ready when start is scheduled, race starts without the pilot. It is that simple.
That's pretty much my take on it, particularly with regards to the positives - that's why my blog post was written in such a way - reflecting back, looking at the pictures of the community, the location etc, I can luckily mostly takeaway positives :] big up for the shoutout :D
Very level headed, well spoken assessment of a crappy situation. You know a lot more than you give yourself credit for with these events, your voice and opinions will absolutely help form the future of this sport. At the end of the day it's about having fun.
"just happy to be here"
Your video, well said and well done. I'm a racer and I run events. Bringing issues from the "Worlds" to light, helps guys like myself know the details/issues on how to run a good race event. Learn from the mistakes! Thank you!
Very well spoken and well put-together video. Helped clear up some confusion for me as a spectator that was NOT at the event.
Awesome! Clearing up confusion was a big part of my goal. :-)
All good points, I could add a little from the other group point of view:
- Small track was suppose to make up for technical challenges. It was much more fun if you ask me. So the idea of getting best of small and fast track was actually very nice. Most of your remarks still apply, but it was more fun :) Shame it was going slow, pity the timing system cable was to short, pity it failed in the end :) Pity it got scrapped.
- There was huge amount of time spent on waiting for pilots (absolutely evident on small track). I participated in two events where IRC tramp was used and I could not believe we did not do the same in Hawaii. "your out" was not used enough to compensate for waiting. Sure if heats would be known prior to the event everyone could have set VTX accordingly.
- It was a large event and getting to hear / know status was a challenge. This could have been improved at no cost (we all had mobiles)
- Crashing meant getting stuck in the long grass, bit of a shame nothing was done about it, event and competition would benefit from people being able to take off after a crash and continue. As the name suggests I was kinda keen on that :D
Cheers
takes a lot to voice your real option. you are always positive and that is what this community needs, learn from mistakes and get better. very logical and unemotional non drama video
Nice feedback on the event dude! I have to say that having a World Class event I was expecting a lot of good a new things about it... but considering that its an all new sport, it might be hard to get everything in place and try to prevent all the little variables that can make ppl frustrated or angry about something. We cant forget that we're leaving an isle of having people having fun with a hobby to something really serious and competitive. It has this huge potential of being really fun and successful but sometimes you cant expect both, of having fun and have everybody happy about it. Its a competition, people will get disappointed and frustrated at times, and that alone can bring a whole lot of issues into the matter if not really dealt with. Again congrats on the 2nd place and I hope the next event turns out to have lot less hiccups.
Exactly. And that's the goal. We have to find a way to make sure that everything becomes FAIR and that we aren't just wasting money by going to exotic places for these sorts of competitive events. Every variable needs to point back to good, fair racing, rather than to exhibitionism.
Glad you have the bravery, humility & insight to make this video Paul!
Totally agree that we all need to be humble enough to learn from this experience & contribute to being part of the solution. :)
Wondering if there is any merit in capturing all these lessons somewhere on the web to help collaborate, share thoughts, ideas & tips on what makes a world-class event? or if anyone is already doing this?
Would be great to see any organisation or pilot around the world can contribute & further advance the hobby.
Very wise words... have you thought about running against Trump next time? :-) But seriously, everyone should aim to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Bruce,
I can only stomach so much BS at a time. I'm not sure I'd be cut out for politics. :P
That being said, thanks so much for stoping by! I appreciate the comment. :-)
xjet I think Bruce would be a good president. Move to America and become president Bruce! You'll be able to fly more. not so much bad weather!
Not so many earthquakes either :-)
xjet Bruce I live in California and earthquakes are overrated. Loved your comment about Trump
I agree with literally 99% of everything you said.... I could add to it - regarding the "sponsored teams" portion of the events - other than that - great info Paul. I appreciate your time and effort to bring certain things to the front for all to understand without adding to problem like most have done. Keep up the great work - AND Congratulations!!
I only felt like I was in the right to talk about that which I was a part of. ;-/
Bulbufet FPV oh yeah I know, I think I may have came off wrong, I wasn't meaning you should've mentioned more - just saying that there was more that could be said. I greatly appreciate you taking the time and effort to stick your neck out to bring certain issues to the surface for those that either were not involved or just wanted to escalate things in the wrong direction. Sometimes it takes a standup guy like you to open up people's minds to what "needs" to be done and not just what's "easiest"....
Never done drone racing yet but even at club level auto and kart racing... if you ain't ready to go on time you don't go or if your allowed to go your rolling out late. Give people a set time window to start tell them they have x amount or something and if they don't start in that window it ads to their time.
"demonstrating what it means to be a good race event" I think that is what we did this weekend. Albeit, it was only 40 pilots, but spread the same thing over several days , and it would work for 200.
Man i was so excited about attending this.... unfortunately i wasn't able to make it. But after watching this, sounds like it was kind of a let down. I could handle pilots getting behind, this kind of event is new and it can be hard to setup......but 3 restrooms, not paid within thirty days, no trophies, Sharpie to show you got 2nd on a mini tiki? Man, for as much as we love this hobby, you would think the people hosting it would atleast attempt to make it special for everyone involved. Congrats on 2nd and thanks for sharing. SUBBED.
Well said man. I haven't looked at the comments yet, I am sure people called you whiny or whatnot, but what you said was 'constructive criticism' IMHO and you nailed it. "Servant Leadership", you said (loved that). If you want to lead an event you need to realize all that that entails and then do it right. I want this sport to be successful as well. Keep on keepn' on bro!
Nice summary of the issues at the first Drone World Championships. And good on you for asking for constructive criticism (thats where everyone needs to identify the problems and offer ways to correct them instead of just complaining). I was there to observe, but only caught the last day of the finals. Future events will be better because of what was learned here. Granted, logistics are an issue traveling to Hawaii, but it's a great location with awesome terrain. Yeah, going to Las Vegas would be easier with boring weather (Tip: good pilot loves adverse weather because his less experienced competition might not be able to deal with it. I'll take that advantage anyway). But future World Champs will probably be in even more remote locations (China, Eastern Europe, South America) and you'll remember that Hawaii was at least in the good old USA. I've been a 3-time USA Team member (R/C Soaring) and would have loved the relative simplicity of "just" going to Hawaii. And yes, the event should have been directed by the most experienced person, but at this level you're gonna see a lot of "political" decisions (OK, "office politics") and many of those decisions won't make sense unless you think in those terms. Thanks for putting out this video. I hope it goes a long way towards improving future events by getting everyone on the same page with the same goal of improving THEIR contests.
Nice roundup. It was nice to be out of the racing and in the Freestyle tent. We were chilled and had a pretty decent time. There's some things that could have been done differently there too, but all in all I considered it a success.
Glad to hear it. In the end, my worst fear for anyone was that they would consider it an utter waste of time, but in general it seems like everyone was able to have a good time in spite of that.
That was a great video! Real talk based on facts. Keep flying and doing what you do.
nice breakdown man. shame this world event turned out like this. keep up the positive attitude and the good work.
Yeah surprised the race actually wasn't in California or Nevada... weather would not of been a issue just get some tents!
JAM3S121 and cheaper
Come race in South Africa!
Yes, Las Vegas. But to be fair they have crappy weather too. I spent $350 on Reb Bull Air Races that were cancelled due to high winds. it was pretty windy last year too.
Wow sounds like it was a cluster F#%&.
Super informative video! I enjoy watching your videos :)
excuse us for being ages behind. new to the hobby and trying to take in as much "historical" info about events as we can before we turn up at 1. For what it's worth though we almost never get paid on the spot at our car races. Has to be cleared through vendors a lot of times and we'll get it a month or so later. A lot of the contingency type prizes we actually have to claim ourselves too.
you forgot to mention the biggest change of plans - 2 qualifying tracks becoming just one, thats what really ruined the number of runs, I was expecting 6 packs on each track, got 1 on one that meant nothing and 3 on the main(split over 2 days)
Excellent wrap at the end. We feel the same way here on Maui. I run the majority of the events on this island & it is not an easy task. I have to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Not make a group of people wait while one is fiddling with their equipment (for example). WE, the community need to make this better. It's easy for everyone to throw blame around, but it's difficult to step up and produce AND execute a viable plan. Aloha
Paul you did a great job presenting the pros and cons of the event. I really like the idea of holding future events in Vegas or someplace similar. Reliable weather and much cheaper to travel to. I think as the next 6 months pass more Vtx products will be released to simplify channel assignments/selection so that aspect of racing won't be such a cluster fu@&.
ahah love your avatar ;) you need to photoshop fat sharks on the Dr.. :D
It sounds like someone tried to put something together to quickly. Hopefully everyone learned from the experience and can help make the next one better. I always say if you have a complaint you should also have a option to fix it.
Great video as usual dude!
Respect for such balanced video cosidering it was obviously rather world class disaster than world class event.
TEAMWORK is the answer..Great vid..
A sharpie? I don't even have the words..
Very well put and well thought out
Thnak you! :-)
Drone worlds should be held in a major international flight hub e.g. Dubai or Abu Dhabi due to its centralised location in the world.
Yep.
all of these criticisms seem fair...hopefully this event will help others run better in the future...
Nurk you stepped up said your two cents and ended with problem solving thoughts. I just subscribed , cause this is the kind of stuff that gets things accomplished. Great job! This is a new sport with it’s own issues aside from drone regulation and fpv issues. If everyone tried to be part of how to resolve issues rather than part of the problem, all will be just fine. 2nd is first loser btw lol 😂 great job nurk keep it up !
Good job on getting 2nd place! You should help organizes races here in IN.
Thanks, Paul
Sounds like there needs to be a set of rules or standards that becomes uniform, I.e. Supplied Vr stations that you plug into, Standard heat/race format, etc.
Someone should call a meeting of experienced racers and race organizers to make these things official.
At least you will know what you are getting into.
Just my two cents.
Peace
Keep it underground and make it work, make it mainstream and no more crying. Damn.
just be happy that ur doing something u enjoy, I love my helis and like my quads, but still just r.c = kids with toys, cant expect it to be taken too seriously. no risk in the sport and u dont have to be an athlete so be happy for that!
Years ago I hosted large scale events. I wonder how hard it would be to mainstream a race? To get pilots to go. I have two locations I can rent out that have parking for well over 300 cars and nearly 30 acres of fields divided by tree lines and antique walls. I already own 20 gates and two cubes with more than enough ground markers. I could fund through my non profit and give 100% to the pilot podium. I'm connected with the common ground land trust so locations are no issue. I'm no podium racer but I have decades of organization experience and nationally recognized event coordination. How can someone get involved without getting shooed away? Not smoke blowing here. I could throw an event together properly within a month. Better than what you speak of.
If the people that put this together keep doing events like that drone racing wont survive that long you dont see nascar or motor gp or f1 doing that kind of thing especially a world event like this.
1. VTX - I had just 2 times vtx failures: 1- vtx frozen because of zip tie keeping button pushed on; 2-antenna issue and I was sure it's VTX issue (but hey.. it was working before :D )
2. Dubai - did the pilots get paid at the end of the day? :)
And again.... everyone posted their fun fly around houses and trees, when came to race... issues with the quads... I j-u-s-t d-o-n't g-e-t i-t....
But yes... thanks for this review. It makes me more afraid of next events. To pay lot of money to get far away from home and go through the same experience with bar/poor event again and again. I feel your pain guys.
"Servant leadership." Well said!
150 to 200 people? Should have had 15 to 20 port-o-potties. Extremely poor event management oversight on that.
The people who organized the event should not be organizing racing events of any kind. Timing and schedules are basic and important parts of any race.
Nurk is the type of Pilot to pull an extra prop out of his beard
Do you water proof everything for Hawaii or just leave it? I assume not everyone would take the time to water proof everything. Did you have any issues crashing in the rain?
Thank you Paul, I was hoping someone would do this video, we had a lot of fun but... very bad organized! WHO is going to make the Drone Worlds 2017 ??? very confused
I'm not sure. Probably not the DSA.
Holy Jesus, what a shit show :D The trophy story was really the cream of the crop :D They do look really awesome though, apart from the sticker and marker lol.
Well put
Wow!! cash awards for $500 racing drones? At a rc turbine powered events pilots barely get a pat on the shoulder with his 8k model. I'm changing my hobby lol
Do it!
Nicely said bro. Totally agree here Hong Kong
Sounds to me like they've got zero funds. Maybe spent it all on nationals?
Organizers being organized is great but you can't make a world class event without some capital.
lol 15:25 had me bent over laughing!
it sounded like a big ol shit storm over there.
Well done on a very difficult video!
Thank you. I'm glad you saw it. I believe you were there, if I recall correctly?
Yes we were, my son competed (Thomas). I still haven't done my video on the event, but when I do I'm taking the easy way out and just focussing on the adventure and all the awesome people we met. The most difficult question we get asked is "How was the words". And in all honestly it was Fantastic and terrible lol I actually dreaded being asked that question when we got back to Australia.
We were really lucky in that just before heading over to Hawaii, FGA called me to warn me that it may not be what we expect. So we went in with that in mind. I'm happy you touched on the expectations of overseas competitors.
What lap system do you use Mylaps?
It just sounds like DSA has no clue what they were/are doing. Sadly, when things start to grow like this, many people come out and get involved for all the wrong reasons (usually people think it's a cash grab). Look at RC cars. IFMAR Worlds is 9 days of BS. 9 days of which 8 are qualifying. This year, the TQ didn't even make the main. How does a TQ NOT make a main? I see Drone Racing going the same route sadly. Events should be much shorter. 1 day of practice, one day of qualifying, one day of LCQ's and the mains. Qualifying needs to be simple. Every racer gets 3 qualys and then a chance at a LCQ. I can't believe that it seemed like everything was improvised on the spot, even the trophies!?! And how do you not have redundancies on timing equipment when that is the WHOLE reason people race. To see who has the fastest time right? It's events like this that will keep this wonderful burgeoning sport from being anything other than a niche novelty to the mainstream. PS, congrats on second. I find it a slap in the face for you that you are #2 in the world and you get $2500 (that you still haven't received, but hey, you do have that awesome hand written trophy). Seems like a bad joke.
Awesome video explaining what happened on the day!!! However if I didn't create RIPDSA, we the pilots that got F$&@ed, wouldn't have a voice, we would have left Hawaii and the world would have thought DSA is amazing and some people just like complaining. If you guys did it at DN16, we wouldn't be here now!!
I still think the only problem with that event was the person in charge of it all, he over sold, under performed and wouldn't have done any better with more budget or time. He had chances to salvage it while the comp was on but he is not capable of hosting such events! No one would have cared about the shitty track or toilets if we actually got to fly what we were told.
I went to Osan Korea race the past weekend and this what I expected at DW16. KAMA was amazing, can't wait to attend and support the next race of anyone that actually have the interest of the pilots at heart!!!!!
Was awesome to meet you all, but I would have rather wanted to fly with you at a proper event, than just sit around all day in one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world!!
It sounds like it was skimped on so someone can pocket some money maybe
Very well explained ...i would have done a same video but after watching yours ...i totally agree with everything ....11:20 u mentioned a lot of pilot weren't ready ..to that aspect i can tell u a lot of those pilots we're Freestyling at the same time and judging in freestyle which made it STRESSED AND CONFUSION running back and forth from event to event and have to change vtx channel and antenna every single time ;( NOT that I wasn't ready or anything but ORGANIZER could have made this run a lot more smooth ;) There we're a lot of problems but like u said ...the ones that were there REALLY tried their best ;) Good video ...i will share this on my FB since i think u got everything covered except the fact of freestyle running at the same time as race ;)
Unfortunately, I wasn't a part of freestyle, so I didn't feel like I could comment on it. You should definitely do a video on freestyle -- I'd watch the crap out of that! :-)
Seems like Drone Worlds was a step too big (by trying to be something it could not deliver), and that's normal and acceptable. Too bad for people that had invested a lot to be there and had their expectations crushed, but well, that's life, specially talking about something that is still taking form as FPV Racing.
I believe organizers and pilots could benefit a lot by looking how other similar events work, such as RC car racing (there was a IFMAR World Championship in Las Vegas not long ago) or FAI events as the ones I was able to go representing Brazil (rc glider classes such as F3J and F3K). It's fun, it's organized, it's serious when it needs to be and most important: it has a tight schedule. If the pilot is not ready when he should be, too bad,... there is no such thing as holding the entire event for one guy with technical issues, specially because those issues could be checked before that last moment, and there is always spare equipment..
Pilots must find a way to be heard and have free talk with organizers (by technical meetings before and after the race, daily briefings...) so things like course configurations can be worked by people who know what they are doing.
Thank you
great video. good explanation.
Wish I could find some people in lexington, ky to flight with...
Not paid yet? Bummer. I saw the course and I thought it seemed like a long and expensive way to go for essentially a backyard track. That trophy is a joke too. Coolest trophy I ever saw in Drone Racing was the Detroit Multirotor Cup, the top 3 got to keep the quad they actually flew during the race when I heard that from Eric Milewski I was jelly as fuck! There's a right way and a wrong way to drone race and it sounds like DRA missed the mark so sad. Nice review.
Just wait .. grabbing me some popcorn for time :)
Perfect.
:) i sat and watched this all , good sum up mate lots to learn for everyone!
What was the entry fee for this world class event?
Everyone that went had to qualify. As such, there was no entry fee.
i AGREE with you fully now lets say i was a spectator sitting in the pits yes i was not supposed to be there but i got to see the problems first hand people not being ready was an issue i remember waiting 20-35 mins in between some races i organizer also have their problems im pretty sure that the ESPN cup was a thing and never happen to my knowledge pilates that were not ready sold have been dq and lot of it did come down to money they spent almost all their budget on the venue witch me being in hawaii stuff like this never happens it was cool to see something i love and people i like watching but was horrible to watch....
dammm... what a fuggn disappointment.. those trophies are a JOKE... WTF.
Mmmm... steaks! ;-)
Good talk man! Thanks for summarizing everything up!
You live in Indiana?! You must be on east side or central because I can't find anyone else who flies quads. I'm in nw Indiana.
Scott A I am in Indianapolis. look up CDR they fly fairly near the region.
Bulbufet FPV they have a Facebook page or something? Would love to get out and do some freestyle flying with a group sometime in spring.
Scott A yep
Its early days dude! i predict for the future epic wipeout style tracks with massive investment in permanent venues at top locations globally with super star status pilots and huge prizes. its just going to take time. lets all be positive about this and use this time to forge this sport into what we want it to be ! appi flying!
Just sad.
we need to have a race in DENMARK :-)
I'm sure you do.
+Esa Edvik what do you mean?
Im A Duck That there are competitions in Denmark for sure. Danish Drone Nationals etc.
Esa Edvik What i ment was that a event like drone worlds could be placed in denmark becues of the weather and such:-)
Im A Duck Oh, that too ^_^
are you covered in beard hair? Man thats awesome!
No. I have a German Shepherd dog and a cat, and they both shed like crazy.
That being said, there's probably a beard hair or two in there. Thanks for pointing that out -- now I'm all conscious.
haha thank you so much for your reply, and my apologies for the unforeseen consequences of my comment.
Winer wow couldn't find a good thing?
WHO DOES IT BETTER THEN JOE SCULLY??? NOBODY
Nooooooo boddddyyyyyyy
and you dont hold a world event in a place thats prone to tropical storms this time of year lol, it would have been better to have it in new mexico or texas i think. and the track was garbage
Sheesh. 7 dislikes.
hate us cuz they anus
that will be the 7 guys that ran the comp
Haternet
well youre the 2nd best pilot in the world, fu€kin awesome ☺
I do not think the sport is big enough, it is only expanding now, I mean I am only getting into it now. Give it time it will become bigger and better.
Planning is key, you need to tell the pilots before hand what channels they are using, If you are not ready you are not ready simple as that.
I liked your review good and honest, keep it up.
Great vlog. Mad "props" to ya. EZ access Locations for spectators and pilots make for bigger events. Bigger purses. Publicity will help bring sponsors / vendors and more PILOTS and my .02$ #SELAFPVie # multigp you're dead on about "world class" event and the expectationS that go with it. I'm a fan too.!
I can't speak much about the failures of the organization, but did you really complain about Hawaii being difficult. man what if this race was in Cambodia or Korea or some country that you actually needed a passport?! If you use the word Worlds you need to expect you are going to be in a slightly non-Normal environment.
I've not know what happened, but even if only half of what you said went down, that's f#$ked up. What a bad joke. DRONE WORLDS. Sounds like they just wanted to get the name out first, and to hell with a proper setup. Amateur at best.
why the hell is there as you say groups aiming at putting crap on the event instead they should be making groups aiming at working out how to fix the problems,
how immature
rc-nut 1 agreed. it's why I said something
:(
In your comparisons of worlds and nationals, are they actually the same organizers? Will someone else be organizing future events or will there be a boycott? Will you be sitting out the future event in this complete debacle? LOL
Who got first?
Shaun Taylor aka NytFury.
Why can't people that are pointing out the issues be the same people who are working hard for the better? Why did you characterize them as people at odds with each other or blaming each other, or mutually exclusive? There's only been blame aimed at the organizers, at the people who dreamed up the event and institution to begin with, it's rightful blame. Sure you can blame the pilots for having expectations, but who doesn't have expectations of some kind? There is someone to blame, there is a person who thought it all up, and there is one person who failed...that is not opinion, that is fact...while I say that, I want to also say I work harder than most for the reputation and evolution of our hobby. I believe such blame should turn to the action and cooperation you speak of, it's actually progress personified and if turned to action would prevent future failures of this type..it would prevent people from being bamboozled again by snake oil salesmen, from having unrealistic expectations, even in light of continued warnings...it is not negative to point out the negative cancer, if no one calls it out, points it out, the community can never cut it out and grow from it...growth is sometimes painful. So please do not make those two things mutually exclusive, the people you may think are not helping, are helping and moving this hobby more than anyone else right now. And your video, it covers details that are unimportant in the grand scheme of things, they are the weeds of a large yard..
I hear what you're saying, and I don't think I agree. I think that there is a huge difference between making accusations of failure and being a servant leader that aims to solve problems. I'm not saying that there isn't a time and a place for pointing fingers and blaming, but I'm saying that the best way to do it is by being better. It's the equivalent of taking the moral high ground; don't tell people to be better. BE better.
I totally agree with that, and in my case, I have asked the community to be better by rejecting these types of snake oil salesmen to begin with. There was a person, a personality at the center of these events, he ruled it all, he impacted it all, I and many others have all brought him up, told stories and wrote articles and it's been going on for over a year. It is not "blame" for the failure of this event, no. It's a larger holistic issue of allowing the fox into the hen house...I am trying to find, identify and now kill the foxes in the eyes of public perception. That is perfectly ok if I look bad to many people, I have become a predator in order to protect this community from things much much worse than myself, and I hope the entire community sees that now. It's not about being negative, it's about trying to help, trying to get the word of warnings out, it is not baseless and the emotional cries of the disenfranchised as it has been characterized by my opposition and I find myself on very high moral ground...I would argue it's on higher moral ground because I am willing to sacrifice even my own reputation in order to reach my goal. I personally worked with that person, as you know I was on the ground floor when the organization started, but I still agree, living by example is the best way to be, and I feel I have done that too by walking away from it all and calling attention to it. I have organized races and funflys and meetups and all sorts of things, been doing it for ages, but now that it's all racing and money, I fear there's no reason too, based on the expectations of the pilots who all bought into the bull. Recognition is not given where it's due in this "industry" it's just a herd of cats fighting on scraps anyway, the bubble was never there to burst and you guys are all whining about not being able to "BEAT" each other on a level playing field, yet want cooperation so you can "BEAT" each other...by definition, racing is not cooperation, so there's that too...
Needless to say, I propagated this video to FPV New for ya..