Who’s ready to bet on the Drone Racing League?

In early January, the Drone Racing League (DRL) announced a deal with DraftKings to make the sports technology and entertainment company an Official Sports Betting Partner of DRL.  With that deal, DRL drone races became the first aerial sporting event upon which fans can wager. Mobile sports betting on DRL drone races is now legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia with regulatory approvals pending in additional states. This partnership promises to elevate the popularity of DRL’s drone racing to higher levels.

2020 DRL SIM Cup Champion Christian "Amari" Van Sloun is my guest today.  Amari is 25 years old from Ames, Iowa.  He joined the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship season as a rookie and has continued to dominate all season. 

He earned his spot in the league by winning DRL's largest ever open DRL SIM Tryouts, beating out thousands of pilot hopefuls and winning 10 out of 10 total heats in the Finals. He then went on to win DRL's first pro fantasy, virtual drone racing competition, the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup, donating his prize earnings for Covid-19 relief efforts. 

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Amari talks about the Drone Racing League, the Draft Kings sports betting partnership and he provides insights into DRLs final two races of the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season scheduled for January 26 and January 30. 

Can clean energy power our drones?

Desmond Wheatley is CEO of BEAM Global, a CleanTech leader that produces innovative, sustainable technology for electric vehicle charging, outdoor media, and energy security.  It does this without the construction, disruption, risks and costs of grid-tied solutions.  Desmond joined BEAM as a consultant in 2010 when it was Envision Solar, and has served as the Company’s CEO since 2011 and as Chairman of the Board since 2016. He has two decades of senior international management experience in technology systems integration, energy management, communications and renewable energy.  Desmond has founded, funded and operated four profitable start-up companies and was previously engaged in M&A activities.

In 2020, Beam announced the development of the UAV Arc, the first solar-powered, drone recharging network, which provides en route charging for unmanned aerial vehicles.  The ability to recharge on a network of UAV ARC™ products deployed on rooftops, undeveloped regions or at sea should dramatically increase the potential range and utility of UAVs. Each UAV ARC™ unit generates and stores all its power from renewable sources so drones will receive clean renewable electricity with no cost-per-unit of energy. The units are completely independent from the power grid, allowing them to provide charging during grid outages and in remote locations.

In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Desmond talks about Beam Global, its patented CleanTech Solutions and how the UAV ARC is poised to support the drone delivery industry.

Should States and Cities get more involved in managing low altitude airspace?

Brent Skorup is senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.  The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is the world’s premier university source for market-oriented ideas—bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. The Center advances knowledge about how markets work to improve people’s lives by training graduate students, conducting research, and applying economics to offer solutions to society’s most pressing problems.  In addition to his role as senior research fellow, Brent is also a member of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. He has authored several articles for National Affairs, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and others. He’s appeared on TV and radio for news outlets like C-SPAN, NPR, CBS News, ABC News and CNBC Asia. 

In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brent talks about the current federal-centric model governing traditional aviation as it relates to unmanned traffic management. To avoid gridlock with states and the risk of civil suits from landowners, Brent believes the federal government should recognize state and local government authority over drone airspace.

Is a Jet Powered Drone the Future of Medical Supply Delivery?

Alexander Taits is CEO & Founder of Fusion Flight, a manufacturer of the Jet Quad, the world's smallest and most powerful jet-powered drone with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. It is like an unmanned, scaled-down version of the Harrier-Jump Jet.  With its high speed capability, the company aims to be the leader of autonomous UAV medical delivery. 

Alex begun his career in Mechanical Engineering performing structural analysis for rocket engine and nuclear reactor components. He holds a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from USC and is self-taught in the areas of Control Systems, Software, and Electrical Engineering. Over the years, he has worked in a diverse set of industries including military jet propulsion, semiconductors, robotics and micro-satellites.  

In this edition of the drone radio show, Alex talks about Fusion Flight, the company’s Jet Quad and how the jet powered drone will revolutionize the medical delivery industry.