Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University has opened a training facility for drone racing athletes and competitions. This new infrastructure project is part of a comprehensive training model for the unmanned aerial systems industry. It is being implemented with the support of the Priority 2030 federal program.
The development of a drone racing sports and technology team is an additional component of the practice-oriented training program for UAS specialists. It helps trainees develop robust piloting skills, spatial orientation, and decision-making in dynamic environments. The new training facility includes professional quadcopters, control equipment, and FPV equipment (an FPV drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that allows the operator to see the surroundings through the drone's "eyes" via special helmets).
The 300-square-meter training ground contains everything necessary for the training and professional preparation of drone racing athletes, including participation in national tournaments. The site has two tracks: one for large drones (200/330 classes) and one for small drones (65/75 classes). The facility also features Nazgul Evoque F5X V2 quadcopters, BetaFPV Meteor75 Pro quadcopters, RadioMaster Boxer ELRS control equipment, FPV goggles, helmets, and all necessary accessories and consumables. The training ground also includes Quadrosim and UAVProf simulators, which house computer-based training rooms.
Drone racing is the sport of the future, requiring both quick reactions and strategic planning. Now, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University has the necessary foundation for its development. SPbPU has effectively built a two-tier training system, which includes drone piloting training and competitive training. The necessary equipment has been approved by the St. Petersburg Drone Racing Federation and has received high praise from experienced FPV racers, commented Timur Akhmetkhanov, captain of the SPbPU drone racing team and a student at the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity, on the new facility's capabilities.
It's worth noting that the opening of the Drone Race competition site at the Polytechnic University is a continuation of the comprehensive model for training personnel for the unmanned aerial systems industry, which encompasses continuing professional education, youth engineering team activities, scientific research, and the development of specialized infrastructure. SPbPU is the focal point of the federal project "Personnel for Unmanned Aircraft Systems," and the educational model is built on the principle of "learning through practice" with a focus on solving real-world industry problems.
The Polytechnic University is consistently developing its training infrastructure, which includes specialized laboratories for UAV operators, simulator complexes, an expanded fleet of drones, and test sites. The university views unmanned systems holistically, therefore also conducting research in the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned boats, underwater robotics, and machine vision systems for ground-based unmanned platforms.
Training specialists in unmanned aerial systems requires not only a theoretical foundation but also deep immersion in real-world production processes. We integrate educational programs with industry challenges, developing students' engineering thinking, practical competencies, and readiness to work in a rapidly changing technological environment. This approach allows us to provide the country's economy with qualified personnel capable of creating competitive solutions that meet the strategic objectives of the country's technological development," noted Dmitry Tikhonov, Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education at SPbPU.
Due to the expansion of SPbPU's infrastructure for training drone racing athletes, the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University has announced an additional recruitment call for participants to join the university team.
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