– It is a special feeling when wearing glasses. You are sitting in your own bubble, says Håvard Smeland (26) from Vegårshei.

He bought his first drone with his graduation money, and since then interest has soared.

– Now I have more than ten drones. Some for speed, some for indoors and some for driving stills, he says, polishing up the drone a bit.

Compete with the best

Drone racing is all about flying the drone as fast as you can from start to finish.

And the speed is not “trivial”: 0-200 km/h in one second.

Competitions are held virtually and physically.

– Starting next year, the plan is to travel internationally and enter competitions, he said.

The challenge is to calm the nerves.

– I just have to do the best I can, Smeland said and chuckled.

Drone Champions League (DCL) is the highest level of drone racing competition. Haven Airborne will be the first Norwegian drone team to participate.

Here they will compete with teams including Japan, America, Spain and Germany.

– There, ten of the best teams in the world come together to fly both physical and virtual drones, says manager Ruben Eggebø of Haven Airborne.

They will be going through several competitions in the coming months. In the fall, the winning team will be announced.

Distinguished as one of the best in the world

It was Eggebø who caught Smeland’s attention.

When the team was about to be formed, he received a clear signal from the people in the neighborhood about a southerner who was very good at flying drones.

– Håvard excels in a variety of online simulators and in drone racing, these simulators are very similar to flying physically, says Eggebø.

He believes that Smeland has repeatedly proven itself as one of the leading flight simulators in the world.

But the 26-year-old is not dreaming big ahead of the Drone Champions League, which is likely to be physically held in the fall.

– Not too. But I hope I can contribute to creating more interest in drone racing and drone flying in general, he said.

Use the simulator for skills

Smeland pays attention to details and moments, and works as a photographer every day.

Here too, he uses a drone to take cool videos.

In his spare time, he often sits in front of the computer to practice.

– It goes pretty fast, so you don’t always have time to blink on your tightest runs, explains Håvard Smeland.

He spoke emphatically about how drones gave him a very different perspective on the world.

– It’s great when you prepare properly and can arrange a course that you like, he says.

Due to the pandemic, DCL has only been held virtually in recent years.

– Flying a drone is perhaps one of the most suitable sports for simulators, explains Eggebø.

Growing interest

Preparations are now well under way, with training to prepare as best as possible for the competition.

– We started preparations to build the best drone and find the right components, says Eggebø.

He said there is increasing interest in drones in Norway, and hopes that in the future there will be a bigger environment for drone racing in Norway.

– JIn the long term, I want to form a group that can form a community around drones in Norway.