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.

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.