Share
For most kids in Hong Kong, participating in an air sport as a pilot would be unthinkable. Not so today! In recent years, drone racing has really taken off as a sporting activity for the young and for the young at heart. As a sports, it combines innovation and technology with the extra thrill-factor of piloting a flying aircraft at high speed, maneuvering through a set flight path. Unlike regular drones, racing drones are usually assembled by the pilots themselves, adding another dimension to the skills that can be acquired through participating in the sport. Young pilots find themselves drawn into the world of STEM learning and problem-solving in a way that is exciting and engaging.
To promote drone racing as a community sport, the Wong Tai Sin District Child Development Fund project of the East Kowloon District Residents' Committee had, with the support of the Hong Kong Drone Sports Association, organised the “Flying with Tai Sin: Wong Tai Sin Drone Sports For All” Scheme. As part of the scheme, the Inter-school Drone Sprint and award ceremony was held on 26 February in Lok Fu Place. Around 200 students from 14 schools in Wong Tai Sin district competed in drone racing for the first time. The 200 young pilots had to demonstrate their control skills and quickly navigated through the obstacle course before landing the drone safely on the finish pad.
Hearts were pounding as the students guided their drones through a hoop, only to have to make a speedy descent to fly through a tunnel. Although flying indoors is less tricky than outdoor racing where wind direction and sudden gusts can make handling treacherous, the young pilots demonstrated awesome control and dexterity navigating their drones. At last, Bishop Walsh School won the champion in the primary school category and Ng Wah Catholic Secondary School came the first in the secondary school category.
Drone racing has risen to popularity within a few years and large-scale competitions have been taking place all around the world. It has also been acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee as an air sport and will be one of the demonstration sports at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games 2023.
Andy Chau, Chairman of Hong Kong Drone Sports Association, shared that the general public is unfamiliar with flying drones and parents might worry that they could be fined if aircraft are operated in restricted zones. He reiterated that promotion was needed so that flying drones could develop from being a hobby to a recognised sport. “Collaborating with community shopping centres is a new attempt to bring this exciting air sport into the public domain.”
The HKSAR Government has been advocating STEM education for some time, and drone racing is an excellent medium for students to learn about aviation and technology. When they are flying the aircraft, they also get to strengthen their understanding between aviation theories and STEM, which can train their multi-perspective thinking and problem-solving skills.
Legislative Council member Kenneth Leung, who was one of the guests of the award ceremony, believes that drones can play a key role in STEM education. Hosting competitions in community shopping centres helps build a sense of accomplishment in students,” he said. Kenneth hopes that this kind of event will make drone racing more visible to the public, encouraging stakeholders to invest in opening up more venues for athletes to showcase their skills.
