Skip to main content

Hone your drone skills with a touch of Tron in this quadcopter arena

Own a drone? If you live in a city, finding a place to fly your machine may prove even more challenging than your first-ever flight. So how does the idea of a purpose-built drone arena sound? A safe space where you can hone your skills and swap tips with other drone enthusiasts?

For hobbyist and pro pilots in South Korea, such a place is about to become a reality. It’s the work of drone giant DJI, which in a couple of weeks is opening its first-ever drone arena in a spot just south of Seoul.

Recommended Videos

The 1400-square-meter facility features an adjustable LED-lit circuit for race training and screens offering pilots first-person views of their flying machine.

Safety nets should save your skin if someone’s (or maybe yours?) remotely controlled copter careers out of control, and if a heavy landing puts your machine out of action, there’s a maintenance room where you can get it fixed – providing the damage isn’t too severe, of course.

DJI’s Moon Tae-hyun said he hopes the new arena will provide a “safe and fun environment for people to experience the technology first-hand, whether they’re skilled enthusiasts or someone who’s just curious to learn.”

Moon said one of the biggest advantages of the indoor venue was that it’ll provide a space for drone enthusiasts to fly throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.

Besides entertaining members of the public, the DJI Arena will also be available for individual and group bookings, corporate event rental, and as a venue for workshops, too.

“For skilled drone pilots and UAV clubs, the arena can also offer the stage for more advanced flying experiences and drone racing,” DJI said in a release.

All in all, it looks like a fun place to test out your flying skills, though we’re wondering how many pilots will be able to use the place at the same time before things start to go awry in the sky.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Watch this breathtaking drone video of a volcanic eruption
watch this breathtaking drone video of a volcanic eruption iceland volcano

ICELANDIC VOLCANO ERUPTION 4K - Flying through the lava

Aerial filmmaker Stefan Forster has created an extraordinary piece of work (above) that captures the breathtaking beauty of a volcanic eruption.

Read more
How to watch DJI unveil its new FPV drone live online today
watch djis new teaser for its incoming fpv quadcopter dji drone

Redefine Flying | March 2, 2021 | 9 AM EST

DJI is about to unveil a new drone, and you can watch the entire event live online.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more