Drones Hit Everett: Pro Aerial League Drone Racing
If you hear a large amount of buzzing coming from the newly dubbed Angel of the Winds Arena Saturday, no there is not a swarm of bees taking over Everett. Deep breaths.
Nope, those would be professional drones piloted by professional race teams. And they're planning on making Everett a hub for pro drone racing. Get ready for Washington's newest racing pros: Pro Aerial League (PAL) Professional Team Drone Racing.
The first of its kind ever, Pro Aerial League (PAL) is having their inaugural 2017-2018 season championship with the top four teams competing to hoist the PAL Championship Trophy this Saturday starting at 4 p.m.
PAL teams have been racing in Seattle, Portland, and Everett since their debut at the 57th Annual Rose Cup races at the Portland International Raceway last July.
Racing drones is more than piloting flying death machines around an arena as an audience cheers them on. Flying at speeds around 60 MPH, PAL features what is called "full-contact" races. To find out what this means, I spoke to Mike Miraglio, EVP Business Development for PAL.
Each race is split into "four 20-minute non-stop racing quarters of racing action with four to six teams competing against each other to score the most laps to win a racing event."
The teams are split into six different members: two pilots who take turns flying the drones, two runners who run to retrieve injured drones while donning helmets and knee pads to protect themselves, two pit crew members who repair damaged drones as soon as possible to their team can get flying again.
Picture this: four to six drones whipping around neon obstacles at break-neck speeds, crazy men running along the ground to pick up injured comrades, and a pit crew frantically repairing the tech to get them flying again.
Okay, so it seems these guys are a bit legit.
Drone runners, the brave souls, go in equipped with helmets and knee pads.
Is your interest piqued? The races start 4 p.m. Saturday at Angel of the Winds Arena, with the doors opening at 3 p.m. Tickets are $35 a person online, but get tickets via Groupon and they're $19 for one person, or $35 for two.
Not only does your ticket get you in for the racing, but they will also have opportunities to learn about drone racing in their "how to fly a drone zone," racing simulators, and other fast-paced drone experiences.
Everett's gone to the drones, who knew?
Anna is an Everett-based graphic designer who eats donuts more often than clinicians deem "healthy". She also hangs with Tyler and Garret at Live in Everett, helping manage the daily doings of the site.
