..... give it 10 years and pro athletes of every sport will more comfortable with having a drone filming right up in their grill than a reality TV star

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

While technically not a drone the NFL has had cameras above the field for years. The NHL did something interesting at the All-Star game with helmet mounted GoPro cameras.

Sadly, even with the WTC/GoPro sponsorship they still can't broadcast their world championship :(

It would be more feasible with ITU since the courses are smaller and multiple laps. You could cover a course with 3-4 drones.

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Rodney
TrainingPeaks | Altra Running | RAD Roller
http://www.goinglong.ca

Raced crits this year recorded by drones. Couldn't get away with any argy bargy stuff. Sucked.

All if these comments crack me up. Folks I have already done 2 races with drones. FAA approval? Cost? Where do you people come up with this stuff? Renting a drone is really inexpensive and I would add that one drone could catch more drafting than 3 motos.

Been doing RC for 20 years. Here is my club's cyclocross practice that I filmed this year via RC quad ("Drone" for the layman):



Doing some paid stuff, looking to do more. Just finished a big build on a machine to carry a better camera and gimbal.

The FAA can't stop it. Technology is here.

Nice work!

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

Jon, become a usat official and then use drones instead of motorbikes. You will be in demand every weekend.

I don't think the main problem with the drones is the technology: the technology will evolve and improve. The problem is stupid people who don't understand their duty of care to the athletes and bystanders. Regulation (and the associated cost) is there to deter stupid people from going to their nearest shop to hire or buy one of these things and then professing to be bona fide commercial operators.

That looks awesome.

Thanks for the compliments. I am no pro at video editing, but getting better. I know a lot more about flying. My youtube has all my other videos.

Right now, the multirotor platform is conducive to getting some great video shots, but would be a little impractical for drafting enforcement. As others have mentioned, limited flight times, and few options for streaming HD video make it difficult.

I think that time will come, but I do not see it as a means right now to monitor hours long races.

The commercially bought multirotors are getting incredibly good. In years past, it would be impossible for a beginner to hover a helicopter on their first try. The flight controllers do most of the hard work now, and total beginners can have success. That said, a background in knowing how to actually fly is always good!

You're joking right? If you actually watched that video he was flying the drone in a wide open field and wasn't anywhere near any sort of technically difficult places to navigate. I am not saying that drones won't be useful sometime in the future but right now there is no way you can use one to officiate a race.

Have you ever officiated a race before? I suggest attending a clinic and trying it out. It may change your perspective.

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Ready or not here I come!
Coaching NY's Southern Tier
Swift^3

I tend to agree that it is not practical now. However, I could see it at some point in the future used to help officiate races. It wouldn't be hard for me to get a high view of the course and identify areas where draft packs are forming, then communicate that information to someone on the ground.

Technical flying can't rely on GPS and the other aids so much for the noobs, but I can fly pretty technical :)

How fast can these drones go? I think they would have to be able to do 50-60 to keep up during sprints and descents.

That is really pushing it for most multirotor applications. I am probably limited to 30-40 mph on my camera ships.

High speed would be better suited for a fixed wing application or conventional helicopter design (main rotor and tail rotor), which could easily do those speeds and is typically more efficient (longer flights).

The multirotor is nice from a simplicity standpoint, but the conventional helicopter has performance advantages.