Air Force Museum to host micro-drone racing weekend

Sinclair, Air Force Research Lab and others will have hand-on opportunities for spectators

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will host micro-drone racing and a host of drone-related activities this weekend, the third straight year the event has come to the museum.

From Friday through Sunday, a total of 48 registered drone pilots will race in a series of 2-minute heats with four drones in each heat. The races will go from about 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The final double-elimination bracket with the top 32 qualifying pilots is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Along with the actual races, event organizer Kele Stanley said attendees will have the opportunity to participate in other activities.

“The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) is bringing in some simulators — that way the spectators can get involved,” Stanley said. “There will also be a couple of computers with a DRL (Drone Racing League) simulator, and plenty of companies here to talk about drone technology, to tell about the newest advances, as well as places for hopeful pilots to get their start and fly inside of the drone cage and fly a real drone if they would like to do so.”

Spectators will be able to watch the races along the course in the museum’s second building, as well as from a large screen that will show the drones’ perspective as they are racing.

“This is the culmination of a lot of minds and a lot of experiences,” Stanley said. “We really enjoy the amount of support we get from the museum for this event and we’re excited to be here again this year.”

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors will also be able to experience flying a drone with the computer-based simulators from the AFRL, Sinclair College Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program, and the museum’s education division. Visitors can then fly an actual drone in two designated areas courtesy of AFRL and the museum’s education division.

The main racing event will take place in the museum’s second building, the Korean War Gallery, with some of the additional activities held in the fourth building, Stanley said.

“It’s a great way to make your way through the museum, to see everything there is on the way,” he said.

Though this weekend’s events aren’t sponsored by any one organization, Stanley said members from the Cincinnati Quad Racers and Whoop Brothers Racing will be in attendance, noting that all races will be live-streamed on the Cincinnati Quad Racers YouTube page.

Admission to the Air Force Museum is free. The museum features more than 350 aerospace vehicles, missiles and thousands of artifacts on more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space, drawing more than 800,000 visitors from around the world yearly.

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