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Happy National Aviation Day!

In case you didn’t know–and you probably didn’t–today is National Aviation Day.

Thank ol’ FDR for the holiday. Franklin D. Roosevelt established the first National Aviation Day on Aug. 19th, 1939.

Why Aug. 19th? That was Orville Wright’s birthday. If you don’t know who Orville Wright…well, your teacher wasn’t doing his or her job. Orville and his brother, Wilbur, made the first successful airplane flight on Dec. 17th, 1903. The brothers’ monoplane few for 2 min. and a length of 1,500 ft. Within two years, the brothers’ planes were hitting speeds of over 30 MPH and ranges of over 20 miles.

dji phantom 2

Consider that for a moment. Two minutes and 500 yards were milestones in aviation. Those are blips when compared to today’s popular drones. A Phantom 4 can easily breach 30 MPH and fly over a mile. And who knows how fast and far drones will go by decade’s end.

Looking at the Phantom 4 and Inspire 1, one can’t help but be impressed by how far aviation has come along. Pretty cool, eh?


Phantom 4 sale

Drone World’s New Phantom 4 Sale

With a new month comes a new Phantom 4 sale from Drone World. 

 

The Phantom 4 needs no introduction. The world’s best-selling prosumer drone now retails for $1,199, or $200 off. And the same goes for all of Drone World’s Phantom 4 bundles, including the new Executive Kit V2.0. On top of that, buyers can get up to two new batteries for $99 each.

 

The commercial-grade Inspire 1 Pro drone and bundles have an even bigger price cut–$500 off. The price now falls to $3,399.

 

That’s not all. For the first time ever, Drone World is offering the Nanuk 950 with hydro-sculpted Phantom 4 insert as a standalone product. The Custom 950 had previously been exclusive to the Executive Kit.

 

See these latest deals and more at http://drone-world.com/.


fpv drone

ESPN to Air FPV Racing

ESPN, America’s largest cable sports network, has partnered with the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) to air FPV racing live. This marks the first time that a major network has jumped aboard the up-and-coming FPV bandwagon.

FPV is short for First-Person-View, and refers to special goggles that allow a pilot to see through a drone’s camera remotely, as opposed to a separate monitor or mobile device. Dedicated racing drones can easily average speeds of 60-70 MPH, with some reaching top speeds around 100 MPH–hence the exhilaration from the FPV experience. 

Prior to the ESPN deal, drone racing has relied on the Web for coverage. But the extraordinary growth in the drone market, and increasing interest in drone racing, have propelled an underground phenomenon into the mainstream.

The deal shows just how serious big media are taking this young sport. It also shows how fractious that sport still is. The IDRA is just one of several organizations trying to take the lead in the sport. The Drone Racing League is one example, which concluded its initial season in Tampa. Dubai hosted its own event, the World Drone Prix, just last month.

The IDRA’s first televised race airs this August on ESPN3. In the meantime, stay connected to Drone World for all your drone racing information.