Manned Drone Racing Around The Corner

The first crew-capable eVTOL racing aircraft has flown and its developer says things will move quickly from here toward an organized race series. The Alauda Aeronautics EXA Mk3 took off from an undisclosed location in the deserts of Southern Australia with reps from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The EXA was flown autonomously but there’s room for a pilot/passenger and the ultimate plan is for crewed races on a high-tech circuit. For now, however, the drones will be flown remotely and the first races are planned for later this year.

“These races will see elite pilots drawn from aviation, motorsport and eSports backgrounds to remotely pilot the world’s only racing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft,” the company said in a news release. The races will be streamed and give viewers the experience of being in the drones as they blast around the track. Next year, the plan is to put people onboard the drones. Company founder Matthew Pearson said that racing will foster technology development that will benefit the whole eVTOL industry but in the meantime, a new sport is being born. “These historic first flights are just the start and we are all excited to begin a momentous new chapter in motorsport’s rich legacy.”