{"id":26323,"date":"2018-09-27T14:37:22","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T19:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=26323"},"modified":"2018-09-27T14:37:22","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T19:37:22","slug":"apsu-drone-club-to-launch-inaugural-racing-season-on-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2018\/09\/27\/apsu-drone-club-to-launch-inaugural-racing-season-on-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU Drone Club to launch inaugural racing season on Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin Peay State University<\/h2>\n

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – We\u2019re going to level with you. The Austin Peay State University Drone Club\u2019s racing drones are too fast for we at Public Relations to catch on video. When they really get rocking, they travel around 100 mph, and we can\u2019t keep up with them.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re just a blur.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Drone Club at APSU has three drone racers who will vie this week to qualify for the national championship next spring. The drones can travel up to 100 mph. Bigger racing drones can go faster. (APSU student Denzil Wyatt)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

And they\u2019re too light to carry a GoPro. The drone in the video below isn\u2019t a racing drone. It\u2019s a fast one, sure, but it\u2019s traveling 40 mph, maybe 50.<\/p>\n

But you can SEE the drones for yourself, no cameras needed, at 2:30pm, Friday, September 28th, 2018 when the Drone Club at APSU launches its inaugural season racing in the Collegiate Drone Racing Association (CDRA).<\/p>\n

Club members will set up an official CDRA track at the Dunn Bowl and race their drones around flags and through gates in an effort to record fast-enough times to qualify for the national championship in the spring at Purdue University.<\/p>\n

The Rules of the Course<\/h3>\n
\"This<\/a>

This is the layout of the first month\u2019s course. The Drone Club at APSU will fly on this course 2:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28, at the Dunn Center lawn. The drone racing season continues through the spring. (APSU student Denzil Wyatt)<\/p><\/div>\n

All schools race using the same course layout, posted to the CDRA website. The course changes each month. Racing drones can be no longer than 305 mm with 6-inch propellers. The gates can be no larger than 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide and the flags 5 feet tall.<\/p>\n

The teams can have as many members as they like but must have at least two pilots.<\/p>\n

The Drone Club at APSU has three qualified pilots on the team:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Michael Hunter, president, junior, graphic design.<\/li>\n
  • Antoine Rawlins, vice president, senior, computer science.<\/li>\n
  • Harrison Welch, treasurer, senior, computer science.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    [320right]Individual pilots submit their three fastest consecutive lap times for the day.<\/p>\n

    Onboard video is required for all submitted times. The times are converted into points, and the team scores are the three highest individual scores.<\/p>\n

    At the end of each month, the top ranked schools qualify for the national championship in the spring. At the championships, the drones race four at a time.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s a good video from the University of Alabama about the 2018 National Championship:<\/p>\n

    \n