Professional drone racing kits return to Milwaukee to give kids a chance to fly

Pro Drone Racing returns to the Petit National Ice Center April 29-30 for the second annual Ice Storm Drone Race.

“We have partnered with MultiGP, the world’s largest drone race,” said Monica Van Aken, director of the Milwaukee Montessori School and co-organizer of the MultiGP event. “This year is a bigger event. It’s also a good one. We have 70 drone pilots from all over the world, including several countries in the US.

Among the professional pilots who will take part in the 2023 competition will be 19-year-old Minchan Kim. Kim, from South Korea, is considered the fastest drone in the world. Drone Race League 2019 World Champion Alex Vanover will compete alongside pilots Armando Gallegos, Mason Lively and Christian Van Sloan.

Brian Melton, a commercial pilot and resident of Waukesha, said: “I love this race. It has all the great pilots in the world. – It’s going to be a show.

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 29 with amateur and school team events. Open Class Qualifying will be held on Saturday from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. On Sunday, the amateur and student competitions will be held from 9:00 to 13:00, and the open competition will start at 14:30. Game tickets are $10 per day or $18 for two-day tickets Children under 5 are free.

Saif Gillani, an 8th grader at the Milwaukee Montessori School, will be one of the cadets participating in this year’s event. He looks forward to showing off his skills to his teammates during practice.

“It’s a challenge, but you have to stand up in every way possible,” Gilani said, explaining the drone race. “Sometimes when we spend two hours working on a problem, you get really angry because it starts to happen. But at the end of the day, it’s fun because you get to fly, which is a great bonus.”

Melton loves that kids have the opportunity to build and fly drones from an early age.

“I really like what the school is doing here because the program combines engineering, 3D printing, electronic software, science and ethnoscience,” Melton said. “I love that kids learn in a fun way that they can apply to the real world.”

You can pre-purchase tickets for the 2nd Annual Ice Storm Drone Race here or online.