The Erie County Agricultural Society and No Limit FPV have reached an agreement with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and MultiGP to hold the first ever North American Drone Masters on August 10 & 11, 2019. The drone masters will take place during the Erie County Fair inside the Gusto Grandstand and will be a free event with paid admission to the Erie County Fair. The event is sponsored in part by T-Mobile.
“Since the 1840s, the need for speed has been part of the Erie County Fair experience,” said Fair Marketing Manager Marty Biniasz. “In the 1800s, it was harness racing that entertained fairgoers with days filled with trotters and pacers. Starting in the 1920s the roar of gasoline powered engines filled the Grandstand as auto racing attracted tens of thousands to the ‘Hamburg Oval.’ Today, the need for speed has returned to the Fairgrounds with the North American Drone Masters.”
This FAI sanctioned race will be the first ever “masters” level drone competition to be held in the region and is part of the 2019 Masters Series of drone races. As a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) sanctioned event, this exclusive race is expected to attract drone teams from across the world. This prestigious, world-class event will be one of only three “masters” level races being held in the world during 2019. Other races will be held in Barcelona, Spain and Seoul, South Korea. In addition to $10,000 in purse money, the top 3 pilots from the races held at the Erie County Fair will gain a spot at the 2019 FAI World Championship Grand Final in China held at the end of November.
“This is the future of high tech, motorized spectator sports,” said Erie County Fair Manager and CEO Jessica Underberg. “Staging an event of this class and complexity has yet to be accomplished in the fair industry. With the inaugural North American Drone Masters, we take great pride in being innovators in technology infused, drone-based entertainment.”
The racecourse track, to be constructed in-front of the Grandstand seating, is being designed to included tight, hairpin curves and straightaways that will facilitate speeds of up to 80 mph. The track will be contained behind safety nets designed to keep drones in and spectators at a safe distance. Pilots flying will be staged in front of the spectators with live video feeds from each of their drones so the crowd may follow along and experience the race with them. The excitement of the race will include commentary by Joe Scully, a globally known announcer of drone races and rodeos.
The North American Drone Masters will be held over two days with qualifying heats taking place between 11a – 5p inside the Fair’s infield area on Saturday, August 10th and the grand finals scheduled for Sunday, August 11th at 7pm in the Gusto Grandstand.
Fairgoers looking to learn more about drones and the thrill of flying a model airplane will be able to explore the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ simulation simulator. The display will be located at Fair’s I-Hub “STEM technology” center August 7-9th.
ABOUT NORTH AMERICAN DRONE MASTERS PARTNERS
Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA): World’s largest model aviation association, representing a membership of more than 195,000. The AMA is the official national body for model aviation in the United States sanctioning more than 2,000 model competitions throughout the country each year, and certifies official model flying records on a national and international level. The AMA is the organizer of the annual National Aeromodeling Championships, the world’s largest model airplane competition. The Academy serves as the industry’s liaison with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, and other government agencies through their national headquarters in Muncie, Indiana.
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI): The World Air Sports Federation, was founded in 1905. It is a non-governmental and non-profit making international organization with the basic aim of furthering aeronautical and astronautical activities worldwide, ratifying world and continental records and coordinating the organization of international competitions. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
No Limits FVP: One of the leading drone event producers in the Northeast. Owned by William Aumer of Boston, New York, Bill has organized numerous races utilizing the sanctions of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, MultGP, and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
About MultiGP: The World’s largest drone racing league, hosting first-person view (FPV) drone races across the globe. This competitive league features cutting edge drone technology with more than 500 competitive drone racing chapters/clubs and over 20,000 registered competitive FPV drone racing pilots.
