2024 World Championships Roundup

FAI World Drone Racing Championship

The 2024 FAI World Drone Racing Championship (WDRC) was held in Hangzhou, China, from October 31st to November 3rd. The event brought together top drone racers from around the world for an exciting competition at a fantastic venue.

The Australian FAI Team for 2024 included four returning pilots from the 2023 championship. Mason Grunsell, who finished 77th, showed great determination as he pushed through the event despite falling ill. Gabriel Barrasso ended in 55th, a strong effort given the video issues he encountered in some of his heats. Thomas Bitmatta, competing in his fourth FAI championship, also faced video challenges in all his heats but still managed to finish in 20th place overall. The team’s top result came from Wilfred Harvey, who finished 11th, a big improvement from his 19th-place finish in 2023.

The team also welcomed one new member, Ruby Congdon, who joined the squad after flying FPV for less than a year. In her first international event, Ruby finished 104th overall, a great performance for a new pilot on the international stage.

The 2024 FAI WDRC consisted of 30 Nations and 107 competitors with the Australian Team finishing  7th Overall.

The venue in Hangzhou was excellent, offering a spectacular visual track and facilities. While the weather was mostly good, the first day of qualifying was disrupted by rain, leading to adjustments in the schedule and format.

One challenge faced by most pilots during the competition was video quality, which was affected by the track layout and the positioning of the pilot stations. This issue impacted performance for many pilots during the qualifiers and heats and we hope the FAI can address this in future events to ensure pilots have clear FPV vision and can compete at their best.

A big thank you to our commercial sponsors for their support. Foxeer returned as our Title Sponsor, alongside Gemfan, MantisFPV, and Rising Sun FPV, while new sponsors FPVTrackside, Profly Cinema, and BMS Racing also joined this year. We’re also grateful for the contributions of non-commercial sponsors AUFPV and MAAA, who continue to support the growth of drone racing in Australia.

Finally, special thanks go to Phillip (Mason’s dad) and Andy (Wilfred’s dad) for their help in supporting the whole team during the event.

Austraila wins at F4 Championship

 

The 2024 FAI F4 World Championships for Scale Model Aircraft was held in Strejnic, Romania, from August 10 to 17, 2024.

David Law (AUS) – 1st Place in F4C Melissa Law (AUS) – 12th Place in F4H

Team Manager report provided by Greg Lepp.

Our team participated in the F4C and F4H classes, which are the premier classes for scale model aircraft competitions.

Event Summary: The competition was fierce, with participants from 18 different nations showcasing their meticulously crafted scale models. The event was well-organized, and the atmosphere was friendly and supportive among competitors.

Challenges: One of the main challenges we faced was some logistical issues with gaining access to the airport for flying. However, thanks to the understanding and cooperation of our fellow competitors and the event organizers, we were able to resolve these issues, and the competition completed in the required timeframe.

Achievements:

David Law (AUS) secured the World Champion title in the F4C class, demonstrating exceptional skill and precision in both static and flight performances.

Melissa Law (AUS) finished 12th in the F4H class, showing commendable effort and determination throughout the competition.

Conclusion: The 2024 FAI F4 World Championships was a remarkable experience for our team. We are proud of our achievements and grateful for the support from our fellow competitors and the event organizers. We look forward to continuing to represent our country in future competitions and furthering the art of scale model aircraft.

Acknowledgements: We extend our heartfelt thanks to the event organizers, the Romanian National Aero Club, and all our supporters who made this journey possible.

Stinger Engines, and Desert Aircraft for their invaluable support.

 

Australian F3F TEAM Manager’s Report

FRANCE

By Stuart Hamilton

Saturday 28th September saw AUS Team depart Perth for Toulouse via Doha to all be immersed in our first ever glider slope soaring world championship.

Individual ski sports tubes containing three gliders and additional baggage carrying ballast etc. was our first hurdle, endeavoring to fall right on the 30kg limit. It was a relief to achieve check in and we all endured extra screening in Perth and along the way.

Once on the Airbus A380 the throwing yourself in the deep end really started to sink in, especially when the big girl lifted off from the runway. It was an 11-hour flight to Doha, followed by 7-hours from Doha to Toulouse.

On arrival we secured our big black van and given I felt I had the best sleep on the plane, I took the reins to drive to our accommodation in Limoux. We deployed Rossco as navigator and driving support (which was what we did successfully for the rest of the trip) alternating between each other. Thankfully the roads were pretty quiet generally given we were based in the countryside. Doing 130kph on the toll way was a new experience!

On arrival to our accommodation for the two weeks stay we were blown away by what Rossco and Carla had secured for us. It was an amazing house situated on top of a hill overlooking Limoux and mountains in the distance. It even had a heated pool which we jumped in on arrival to wash away all the travel fatigue.

The next days were spent settling in, assembling gliders, shopping and a visit to the WC headquarters where we met contest organizers Andreas Fricke and Jean-Luc Galdeano. We had a nice lunch together where I enjoyed a Cassoulet French stew. Andreas kindly passed on the tungsten I ordered for my Freestyler 6 glider.

When ready we headed out to the Saint Ferriol slope where our navigation led us down the garden path. After some goosing around we finally made it to the destination, but the wind was too light. We met a few other competitors, so it was great to do the reconnaissance and worthwhile getting out and about.

The following day we headed out to another slope called Laurac Le Grand. The Hong Kong and Danish teams were there flying, and they kindly offered for us to jump the queue and get in the air. It was an interesting flying experience for all of us given the somewhat lack of lift power in relationship to home. Laurac has an unimpeded flat plain pretty much to the horizon line, so it is the place to go when light winds are the order of the day. The slope is not perfectly manicured, so it is pretty turbulent. The left-hand end rolls around the corner so an extended turn has your glider stopping coming out of the turn as the wind generally comes in off to the right and suck back is experienced. The right-hand end has a big headland jutting out which delivers a lack of lift and also turbulence especially when either trying to gain entry height or hovering back and forth preparing for a landing. The landing area is a large bowl off the back full of limestone type rocks. The only saving grace is the grass is long enough to land your glider flat on top avoiding the rocks, providing the pilot deals with the rotor and associated turbulence. It was great to fly at Laurac as it would prove to be the most challenging spot for everyone during the competition.

Given we headed to the WC a week early we were fortunate enough to score the Saint Ferriol slope for two days with winds in excess of 10m/s. Saint Ferriol slope is a sheer vertical limestone cliff with really powerful lift when the wind strength is up there. This slope was the best slope I have ever flown! Just flying there made my trip!

The only downfall to the Saint Ferriol slope was the really tough landings with a slightly declining flat plain subject to extreme rotor effects. This slope would deliver some fantastic times for competitors during the WC, but also landing pain upon trying to bring your glider home.

Laurac and Saint Ferriol slopes highlighted that the WC also has an aspect of endurance which pilots constantly battled to keep in check. You can soon run out of three gliders when 17 rounds are the final result, and you have practice flying as well as The Pyrenees Cup in the mix!

The other slope which the French had in their bag of tricks was called Escueillens. The slope was located in a military fly zone so was pretty much open to flying only during the WC. We did not have a chance to fly there prior. The slope was well manicured and had a tree line just past base B and a nice, grassed landing area just past base A. Entry to the landing area was over a sunflower crop in which you did not want to fall short. Escueillens was a nice slope to fly at and was certainly challenging dependent on the air cycling through. The only trouble with Escueillens was that it was subject to fog which had us waiting to start rounds from 9am until it cleared at 2pm during one instance. Escueillens certainly equalled slow starts!

 

The Pyrenees Cup

Laurac was the call, and the wind was light to moderate coming in late afternoon after sitting around all day.

Once away, we completed one round containing the 70 pilots. I unfortunately clipped a bush hugging the terrain putting a fist size bite in my Pitbull leading edge and achieved a “did not finish”. Luke did well with his Mojo posting a respectable 59.51s but unfortunately snapped his nose on a rock landing in the bowl. Rossco tried his best but pre-empted the base performing a cut securing a 74.77s, probably in ordinary air too. Luke super glued the Mojo nose as he likes this glider, and it was cutting through the air nice.

On arriving home I sculpted a chunk of sand able foam packaging from my tungsten order and fitted that to the bite in my Pitbull wing. I then taped on a cutout coke can sheet to keep her in the air. The next day saw us hit Escueillens only to sit around being fogged out until the afternoon.

One round was flown where Rossco was the standout for the AUS Team posting a 55.97s run. I flew a conservative back on the horse run to post a 59.46s and from memory Luke cut badly, probably in ordinary air too, to post a 70.28s.

The Pyrenees Cup was awesome to go through the motions and to see what the top pilots do pumping wise for entry height gain and how they fly the course. Given the opening ceremony was scheduled for 7pm in the town square of Limoux, the Pyrenees Cup was finished, and we enjoyed a really good opening ceremony being introduced as a team to the other competitors and a great audio-visual historical big screen video and photo display from the French F3F fraternity.

Monday

Monday morning saw us hit Escueillens with a delayed start due to fog again.

I was the first cab off the rank flying my Device well to achieve a 42.32s run and received some clapping on conclusion due to my precisely timed turns. My pumping helped too as I was carefully monitoring and planning my strategy via watching 7 pilots prior. Luke unfortunately performed a cut on his run and was spooked by a potential other as well. Luke flew it out well to achieve a respectable 51.73s. Rossco's first run was not ideal for him as I think he struggled with the pumping and performed a cut to post a 61.52s. When he did the cut however, he performed one of the best hook arounds back towards the slope to regather I have seen. It was pretty aggressive and brazen leaving not much room from the safety line. He bounced back on his second run generating some good speed with the Pitbull 2 with better turn preparation and not so aggressive aileron wafting to achieve a 49.41s run. He nearly took out the wind meter and unfortunately crossed the safety line for a penalty. Geez we would have never heard the end from Erik Schufman if he did clean up the wind meter! Luke posted a 56.90s run for round 2 hovering around bases from memory awaiting the buzzer beep. My round 2 effort was a dismal 68.24s struggling to pump the Device and fly her through the course a bit heavy in bad air. Learning curve though in regard to selection of appropriate glider and ballast for the conditions.

Tuesday

Tuesdays flying saw us hit Saint Ferriol once the muddy track was deemed drivable. We were greeted with 6 to 7m/s wind initially which saw Luke first up flying well to achieve a 50.33s run. Cut balking again washed off his nicely gathered momentum during his run. Rossco was dealt some light conditions but even though not off to a good pump and start he is great at building the momentum during the run. The wind kept dropping and was not contestable to complete group 2 of round 3. Andreas called rerunning of group 2 which was great for Rossco getting extra fly time advantage. I just chilled eventually coming to the realization that I might not fly, which did come to fruition.

Wednesday

Wednesday Laurac Le Grand was the call where completion of round 3 and an additional 5 rounds was flown in on average 10m/s and above winds. It was a big day of flying and looking back quite crucial in eventually exceeding 14 rounds where the worst two can be dropped. Landing was really tough with me and Rossco being blown off the back of the landing area. I was lucky with no damage but unfortunately Rossco cracked his Wasabi fuselage. Luke was keeping his Mojo going super gluing the nose when and if required. At one stage I noticed it loose prior to launch with 5 pilots in front. It was a frantic sprint to the car for the super glue, but we ended up being able to send our team mate on time. Rossco opened with a 71.46s round 3 re-flight followed by a 58.70, 47.31s, 61.65, 58.19s and a 50.82s. Luke a 50.40s, 48.77s, 51.11s 59.64s and a 45.80s. My round 3 was a 56.49s followed by a 71.27s, 54.20s, 46.69s, 51.90s and a 42.91s.

Laurac Le Grand was a difficult place to pump and adapt to flying through the course. It was interesting to watch the top pilots push through well while for others the slope and associated attributes did not work well with their approach and style. Although it was daunting at first, it was really great to fly heaps and push through the rounds especially with a nice Saint Ferriol Thursday forecast of the same predicted.

Thursday

Thursday saw us greeted with a fantastic day of flying ahead at Saint Ferriol as forecast with winds in excess of 10m/s up to 15m/s and sometimes down to 6m/s. Luke was the standout Australian pilot where after learning from his cut balking mistakes he found the groove and followed suit really well adapting his style to mimic the top pilots. It was a pleasure to watch Luke fly his smooth putting it on the line style in which a lot of good pilots stood up and took notice. Luke achieved a round 9 39.69s and round 10 39.71s which was epic, especially to witness his elation at his achievement, and to hear fellow competitors clap accordingly. Lukes following runs at Saint Ferriol were a 45.17s, 54.44s and a 55.46s as the wind and good air fell away. Rossco also came out firing in the good conditions with a nice 41.30s followed by a 43.66s. Rossco flew consistently good as the conditions lost the initial strength to post a 47.27s, 51.52s and a 49.84s. For me my times were 45.41s, 41.17s, 49.13s, 55.25s and a 60.67s. Unfortunately, I snapped an elevator on one of my Device tails with a high-speed ground loop landing followed by breaking the nose of my Pitbull. I fixed my Device elevator after round 11 and continued to fly out round 12 and 13 with her. I did land really good with a different approach for these two rounds as I took the time to watch local legend Sebastian Lanes go through the motions and followed suit accordingly. Friday saw a lay day which was great for me to be able to fix my Pitbull which ended up being a good option to claw my way back on Saturdays last four rounds at Escueillens.

Saturday

The last day of competition on Saturday prior to the evening's presentations and banquet was run at Escueillens with the intention of achieving round 14 and 15 so a total of two round scores could be dropped.

Due to the fog god being kind we hit the ground running and achieved a total of 17 rounds. The wind from memory was on average 7m/s and cycling through with good and bad air sometimes. Luke opened with a 51.59s and before his next flight I was challenged by Team USA's Warren Day to a wager for Luke versus him. I was up for it, so I put 20-euro on Luke. Luke did not let me down and posted a great 38.07s, his fastest for the competition. Warren then stepped up to the plate and won the round with a 37.45s.

Well done to Warren who adapted his style closer to the ridge and executed a nice less distance travelled run! Luke then executed a nice 43.89s followed by a 49.60s. For me I tried to step it up without pushing too hard and possibly performing a cut to claw my way back up the ranks, which I was happy that I did somewhat. I started with a 45.61s then a 47.93s, a 46.82s and finished off with a nice final run with a different to the rest style which worked well and achieved a 43.95s and gathered me some good points against the group's times. Rossco flew out the competition pretty consistent with no mistakes apart from letting me down when I backed him again against Warren Day for another 20-euro loss. Rossco's final times were 46.69s, 49.39s, 51.69s and 55.39s. In the evening the presentations were amazing and carried the great comradery of F3F enthusiasts and good sportsmanship experienced throughout the competition. The banquet was excellent, and it was really sad to part ways with competitors and officials in which we had spent a fantastic week with. The French were awesome in how they all banded together to make the World Championship happen. They all did such a sterling job. Made our first WC so special and memorable. Thank you so much! Thank you to Carla as well for giving our team support, especially for Luke and me. We really learnt a lot from competing against the world's best and it has definitely given us a new purpose to take what we have seen and learnt lifting ourselves to new heights and speeds. There were also many new friendships forged.

Team AUS WC final placings;

Luke Ancill 40th

Stuart Hamilton 41st

Ross Cox 47th

AUS Team overall 16th