Interview with Drone Racer DaJuan "Magic" Simpson - Maker Faire - Henry Ford

Enter drone racer DaJuan Simpson, aka "Magic". I met him at the drone competition outside the museum during Maker Faire - Henry Ford - 2016. 

Me: How did you get started flying?

DaJuan: Started flying "Helis", then saw some Multirotor videos on YouTube and have been into it ever since.


Me: I know these drones at the competition are all custom built for racing. What was your first drone....a $100 drone or what?


DaJuan: My first drone was a $50 drone from 7-11, bought it on Black Friday. I met some people from this flying group at a local hobby shop, and the rest is history.


Me: You started building your own drones?


DaJuan: Yep. I wanted to get the experience of building it myself. You have to know how to build when you are racing drones. When you are out in the field, you may have crashes or other issues, so it helps to know your drone inside and out.


Me: Is there a Ready To Fly drone that you can buy that can compete with these custom built drones? Have you ever flown something comparable out of the box?


DaJuan: Yes, I owned an Arris X-Speed. They are ready to go, just need your goggles, extra batteries and a radio. You can also buy a quad that comes with a radio, they are cheaper in quality, but it would be another place you could start.  

Me: Did you ever fly the "camera drones", that carry a GoPro or a DJI type drone?

DaJuan: It all depends on what you want to do, I am a photographer, so yes I do enjoy flying the camera drones. Having the drone up so high and looking over the city is nice. But when you get into actual racing, you are flying 40 mph, 5  to 10 feet off the ground, it's an adrenaline rush you know. 

Me: How fast can these racing drones go?

DaJuan: 70 mph easily.

Me: Can you fly this course without FPV goggles, just by line of sight?

DaJuan: No way. Not at these speeds.

Me: What is your next event you will be attending?

DaJuan: Not sure about when the next official race is, but we practice at the Light Guard Armory, at 8 mile and Mound every Saturday. Come on out and check us out!

Author's Note: I really enjoyed speaking with Magic, he was so into it, I think he could talk forever about drone racing. Thanks DaJuan!