The Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation brought international attention to the region with the successful launch of their inaugural drone competition which took place on Oct. 8-9.
The event combined military, academic and industry participants competing side by side to establish drone dominance across four different categories: hobbyist, industry, academia and military, before breaking off into teams to compete for ultimate victory.
Day one, after competing amongst their category in first-person view (FPV) races across three different lanes four winners were announced:
- Top Academic: Ryan Shurtleff, Purdue University Drone Club
- Top Civilian: Chris Spangler, DRL World Champion
- Top Industry: Jonathan Ficklin
- Top Military: George
On day two, teams came together across sectors for a series of tactical exercises that required collaboration and adaptability. In the end first place went to competitors Jonathan Ficklin, Thomas McGuire, Nick Bogert and Nick Ramsey who were able to claim first prize…