The first stage races of the TEKNOFEST Drone Championship started in Isparta.

The first stage of the TEKNOFEST Drone Championship, organized under the TEKNOFEST umbrella, has started in Isparta. In the competitions held at the Atatürk Stadium, FPV drone pilots from many provinces of Turkey competed on an exciting track.

The first day of the first stage of the TEKNOFEST Drone Championship, which is organized for the seventh time this year under the auspices of the Turkey Technology Team “T3” Foundation and the Ministry of Science, Industry, and Technology, took place in Isparta. In this organization held for the first time in Isparta, 32 drone pilots from many provinces of Turkey competed at Isparta Atatürk Stadium. The exciting organization, supported by T3 Foundation, Isparta Governorship, Isparta Municipality, Süleyman Demirel University Rectorship, Isparta University of Applied Sciences Rectorship, Isparta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ITSO), Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Provincial Directorate of Science and Technology, and the Special Provincial Administration, features drone pilots competing on a challenging course to win the title of Turkey’s fastest drone pilot.

Participating in the championship, which involves high-speed and maneuverability vehicles designed entirely based on the user’s skills, drone pilot İbrahim Alper Karaaydın from Konya stated that he produces his own drones, saying, “I compete in these competitions every year. Last year, I achieved fourth place. We set up our own course on grass fields months in advance and test these drones there. Similarly, we manufacture the drones ourselves. I started this hobby as a child, seeing model airplanes at our neighbor’s house. From model airplanes and helicopters, I suddenly switched to drones.”

Karaaydın talked about the features of the drone he uses, stating, “This is a device I made myself to prevent collisions. Our motors are produced by our drone market. We have control boards and cameras here; the camera provides us with real-time local signals, and we see it instantly without delay, which allows these drones to reach such high speeds. Our batteries are special batteries that can deliver very high currents, reaching up to 400 amps per second.”

“We believe that our youth’s interest in science, technology, and aerospace technology will increase”
In a statement to journalists about the organization, Isparta Governor Aydın Baruş said, “As we know, this year’s Teknofest is focused on Mediterranean provinces. There are stages of this championship in many of our provinces. It is held in provinces such as Kocaeli, Antalya, Mersin, and Adana. This year, we are lucky to conduct the first stage of the Drone Championship of the Teknofest Aviation, Space and Technology Festival here. We are in the center of Isparta at Atatürk Stadium. Here, we have our youth, children, and families. They are eagerly watching the championship. We believe that their interest in science, technology, and aerospace technology will increase as a result. This is already one of our main objectives. The more interest our youth have, the more significant contributions they will make to Turkey’s future in areas requiring technology, both in the National Defense Industry and in other sectors. They will engage in serious competition with their peers, especially to succeed.”

Emphasizing the importance of the exciting competition, Governor Baruş said, “Currently, there are 32 competitors participating in the competition from different provinces, and we wish them success. Beautiful views are being created; watching the images from the perspective of the competing pilots is exciting, and witnessing the speed and maneuverability of the drone has truly impacted our youth, as I have seen up close. The competitions will continue until tomorrow evening, and we will present awards to the winners at the end of the competition. Our goal is to bring even better championships organized under the Teknofest framework to this area in future years and to introduce different competitions to Isparta; I hope we succeed in this. The interest shown by our citizens and youth will play a significant role in this, and the more we embrace these competitions, the higher the likelihood of establishing one of the important legs of Teknofest here. I invite all Ispartans to come and watch these competitions. We are truly encountering interesting visuals. I hope it will lead to beautiful things for Isparta.”