Saturday, October 3, 2015

Country’s first international drone race takes off


Malaysia’s first international drone race took off to a flying start with 31 competitors from three countries racing to compete for RM32,000 worth of attractive prizes for the three categories.

The racers had to race through a 160-metre tight, twisting circuit, negotiating four air-gates and four air-flags in groups of three per class heat.

Air-gates are domes installed on the ground of about five feet high and10 feet wide and the drones have to go under these, while air flags are flag poles marking the turning points of the circuit.

“The racers are divided into three categories based on the airframe size of the drones.

“So they are the 250, 330 and 450 categories with the 250 class being the top category,” explained Hamdi Hamdan the race director.

“The racers go through qualifying time trials and then they compete in the finals and the championship,” Hamdi added.

They race five laps of the circuit, three or four at a time.
Hamdi Hamdan


The race is under the US-based Aerial Grand Prix franchise and is organized here under the Drone Malaysia association.

Hamdi explained that these types of drones are put together by enthusiasts.

The enthusiasts he said would buy the airframes, motors, propellers, flight controllers, ‘first person view’ cameras and monitors, video transmitters and receivers and whole bunch of stuff and they put all these together to build a racing drone.

However, he wasn’t quite happy with the number of competitors.

“Considering the number of enthusiasts for these type of drones around the country, the number of competitors for this first race, was disappointing,” he said.

“We also didn’t get much support from local businesses like the distributors and retailers of components and systems,” Hamdi added.

“Maybe they adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude,” he said.

Hamdi however expressed gratitude to component distributors from Singapore who sponsored free parts such as propellers and other items for the competitors.

The races were given one day to practice on September 26th while the race proper was  held on a haze-enveloped sky on September 27th, but that didn’t cloud the enthusiasm of the competitors.



This inaugural race was held at a Universiti Malaya field but Hamdi is intending to have next year’s race in a covered location incase of inclement weather.


“We have a longer time-frame to organize next year’s event and we hope for more local and regional participants,” Hamdi said.

In the meantime, he and his team hope to organize races around the country and aim to put together a national drone-racing league.

Present at the event was drone NGO, Malaysia Unmanned Drones Activist Society or MUDAS.
MUDAS is in the forefront to promote safe drone flying ever since aerial footage of airliners landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport shocked the nation.
Haidar Abu Bakar


“We’re working with the authorities to put together a framework to promote responsible and safe operation of drones, particularly for those who operate them as a hobby for photography and videography,” said Haidar Abu Bakar of MUDAS.


“The racing hobbyists here are OK; they don’t fly high, they practice and complete away from the public, but it’s the guys who buy drones fitted with cameras like the popular Phantom series of quadcopters that we are worried about,” Haidar added.

“They have to be made aware of the existing regulations, such as flying below 400 feet, not to fly above crowds and heavy traffic and away from tall buildings and no-fly zones,” he added.
“All too often these commonsense guidelines are ignored and it’s important to have some measure of regulation to prevent untoward incidents and accidents,” he said.

Taking top prize for the inaugural race was Worassorn Subsri from Thailand who competed in the main 250 class.

Worassorn Subsri
“This is my first ever drone race; I’ve never even competed in any local race in Thailand, so I am surprised and happy,” said the 35-year-old who took up the hobby just six months ago although he was flying RC helicopters before then.

He came away with the coveted DJI Phantom S900, a six-rotor drone capable of carrying a payload of 8.2kg. What this means is that it can carry high-end cameras such as the Panasonic Lumix GH4.

Just the frame itself costs RM6,000.00.

“Drone racing is getting to be a popular sport around the world and our ambition is to organise an Asian championship one day,” Hamdi said.





Saturday, August 8, 2015

Johor is GHB's frontline state



GHB with Johor Opposition leaders

“Johor will be the frontline state with Melaka and Negeri Sembilan as anchor states for Gerakan Harapan Baru going forward towards the 14th general elections,” said the movement’s secretary Dr Dzulkely Ahmad. 

Met at GHB’s Johor open house here at Taman Universiti yesterday, the former Kuala Selangor MP said that they had not expected such overwhelming support in the locations where they had held their roadshows.

“Last night we were in a small village in Pontian called Ayer Baloi and there were quite a few hundred people listening to us,” he said.

Together with him at Ayer Baloi were GHB’s top leadership including former PAS deputy president and now GHB chairman, Mohamad Sabu, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, PAS lawyer Hanipah Maidin, Suhaizan Kaiyat, Dr Hatta Ramli and others. Also in attendance was DAP supremo, Lim Kit Siang and PKR Johor chief Hassan Karim with their respective leaders and supporters.

“We feel the silent majority wants to have their say in light of all the controversies such as 1MDB, the questionable RM2.6 billion that was in the Prime Minister’s account that has yet to be satisfactorily explained by the PM himself, the depreciating currency and many other issues that has left ordinary people in despair,” he said.
Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, GHB Secretary

“But we are not unfamiliar faces so we have the Pas people coming to meet and listen to us and we have youths who are new to politics and who’ve taken an interest in the backdrop of the crisis that the country is facing; and this crisis is hurting them,” Dr Dzulkefly added.

“There is a good mix of races, ages and income levels; from the rural to the urban that are interested and hopefully they’ll see us as a shot in the arm,” he added.

“We are however disappointed that PAS has chosen to criticize us harshly, using words like ‘barua’ (slave) of DAP which is uncalled for.

“We are moving ahead with the policies that were agreed to by PAS itself in the Pakatan coalition and which they reversed at the last muktamar.

“PAS needs to be more mature in its politics, and not emulate Umno in its level of attacks,” he added.

“Islam is still our clarion call; an Islam that is universal, that is inclusive, that believes in justice for all, that is fair, regardless of race and religion,” he said.

The open house also saw the introduction of the Johor Gerakan Harapan Baru committee headed by its chairman, YB Hj Aminolhuda Hassan Assemblyman for Parit Yaani aided by three deputies, Dzulkifli Ahmad, Mazlan Aliman who is also president of Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (ANAK) and former PAS youth chief Suhaizan Kayat.

Newly minted GHB Johor president said that although it’s too early to gauge the level of support, but there is certainly an increase in awareness of GHB in areas where they have had their roadshows.

“Last night we were in Pontian and for a small village to come out to hear us was encouraging,” he said. 

Gerakan Harapan Baru’s chairman Mohamad Sabu, popularly referred to as Mat Sabu said that the political situation in Johor has changed significantly.

“Since the 2008 and 2013 general elections, Johor is no longer the bastion of Umno and Barisan Nasional,” he said when met at the sidelines of the Gerakan Harapan Baru Hari Raya Open House.

“There is a change in the mindet of Johor’s youths who are working in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and elsewhere and because of this, Johor has great potential for the new Pakatan Rakyat together with GHB to win more seats at the next general election when compared with other states,” Mohamad Sabu said.

“Coupled with the political turmoil surrounding the removal of the deputy Umno president and former deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, we feel that Johor is ready for change, but there must be a Pakatan Rakyat as no party will be able to affect change in the state without this coalition,” he added.