Pennsylvania State Championships

This weekend was the first Pennsylvania State Drone Championship – sponsored by Tiny’s LEDs. I was looking forward to this race for weeks; we even got a T-shirt!

The course was incredibly fun. There was a carousel complex that I really enjoy because you can go very fast on it. The course included a ladder with a variation that I hadn’t seen before. I loved the new challenge of learning something new. We also had to split S over some hurdles and to clear some flags.

The weather was perfect for racing and we had a great group of guys going out for the state title. As is the case at most races for now, I was the only female.

I had been practicing a great deal since the summer, but was still using a smaller battery. It only had four cells, as opposed to six cells that other pilots use. I had recently begun racing on a 5″ setup instead of my normal 4″. Even though the course was a bit on the long side and included battery burner elements, I had no trouble finishing the three laps.

They were taking the top 16 pilots into the semi-finals – and much to my surprise, I made the semi-finals – at maybe position 10. This was one of the first times I ever made semi-finals in a race! I was flying well, but starting to feel a little bit nervous.

As we began semi-finals, I kept having great luck. Each heat I focused on staying cool and flying my own race. As other pilots crashed out, I flew conservatively to keep placing well in each heat. I even won one of the heats! I don’t remember ever winning a heat before.

I did feel self-conscious about being the only woman, but the guys are always really cool. A lot of the guys began cheering for me as my heat was called. I made sure to charge enough batteries for each heat.

Finally it was down to the heat that would decide who goes to finals. The competition was really heating up. I had never made it so far in a race before, with the exception of the Rookie race at the 2018 MultiGP International Open.

I was in a heat with one of the pilots in my home club, Safety Third Racing. Reap3r is a terrific pilot – and fast. I knew I would likely not win this heat, so I focused on flying cleanly and not crashing.

I plugged in my drone and heard the familiar series of beeps — do do doooo! My quad was ready to go. I pulled down my FPV goggles and the video image appeared in the screen. I could see the green grass, the gate before me, and my pilot name, Roo, on the screen. It was time to race.

I hear the announcer, “Arm your quads. Starting in less than five. BOOM!” We were off.

The opening sequence featured that tricky ladder that required a lot of concentration. I talked myself through each step in my head. Around, allllll the way around, around, and shoot for the carousel!

I heard the groans of another pilot crashing out, then another! Suddenly it looked like I could make it to finals. I slowed down and began flying very conservatively.

What I didn’t know is that one of the pilots was furiously trying to turtle his drone. By reversing his motors, he could get his drone back up in the air. He was able to start flying again – and he was ripping the track to try to catch me.

Smitty was spotting for me, and I didn’t realize what he was trying to tell me. Suddenly I got the picture: I wasn’t going to make it! I began picking up the speed, but made a mistake on the flags. The faster pilot caught me just 2-3 gates from the finish line and took the win to earn his spot in the finals.

I had placed fifth. Really? Fifth place? I placed fifth in the entire state?!?!? OMG! I couldn’t believe it. This was my fastest finish in any regular drone race.

To make it even sweeter, I won the door prize of a brand new Crossfire system. Talk about lucky!

I owe so much thanks to members of my Safety Third club, sponsors Tiny’s Sleds and Team Blacksheep, as well as Tim Barnhart and members of his club. They put on a terrific race. It takes so much work to organize a race much alone the first state championship, and we are so grateful for their efforts.