Herbert Weirather, CEO of the DCL, has announced that they are ready to offer a different flight experience. As? Because with the first manned racing drone with which to do all kinds of stunts. A striking idea, but is there anyone who really dares to ride it with complete peace of mind? Surely there will be someone, but it would not be us.
The first manned drone to do stunts in the air
The first great stunt drone is ready, or so claims Herbert Weirather, CEO of the DCL. Along with what is really his important announcement, his new racing drone video game, the Drone Champions League showed this manned aircraft that represents an important commitment in order to offer new flight experiences.
Designed and built with Drone Champions AG, this stunt drone has a design that is very reminiscent of jet skis and speedboats. Equipped with six arms and double, the total of twelve propellers is what allows it to lift the entire weight of the drone and whoever goes inside it.
Yes, after several years and months of development, the company began testing this drone that claims to be ready to perform stunts with a person inside. It was first tested indoors and later outdoors. That's when there was already… a mannequin.
Indeed, although the idea of offering a manned drone is very striking and attractive, it is not easy. If the drones that only seek to take people from point A to point B have not yet come to fruition with a real solution, a proposal of this type even less so due to the complexity of the flights and acrobatics.
Hence, in the video, it can be seen that when the acrobatics tests are done outdoors, it is a mannequin that is mounted. When done by a real person, the drone barely leaves a meter off the ground.
Therefore, despite the intention of DCL and Drone Champions AG, it seems that only daring dummies will be the ones that can be mounted to perform stunts. And it is that, although the physics that is applied to a drone of such dimensions is the same as that of the smallest unmanned models, it is necessary to maximize security measures to avoid a fatal accident.
In any case, according to the DCL, the experience was positive for them and they think that this type of vehicle will change the flight experiences of many users -who dare to ride, of course-.
“I feel like this experience is honestly a new chapter for multirotor aircraft. (…) To see that they can now aspire to actually fly such a drone is absolutely incredible,” exclaimed Josh Bixler of Flite Test.
Controlled from the ground through the hands of pilot Mirko Cesena, who has proven experience in the control and flight of racing and acrobatic drones, we do not deny that it must be very striking to see a drone of such dimensions fly. And almost certainly, sooner or later, this type of aircraft will become a reality. Meanwhile, you will have to be patient and let the company use the test data to continue refining its model.