September 27, 2017
Imagine learning to pilot a drone quad-copter for the first time. Now, envision doing that in a gymnasium with obstacles everywhere. Finally, try it with more than sixty other boys attempting the same endeavor. That was the Cincinnati Section Royal Rangers Hi-Tech event this year at Tri-County Assembly of God in Fairfield, Ohio.
The event opened with a short message from Tri-County children’s pastor, Bob Frymire, who shared about finding your purpose in Christ and serving others.
From there, all attention turned to the main activity of learning to operate and competing with the drone copter. The drone provided to all the boys was a UDI RC U839 3D Nano, which was “ready to fly” out of the box. Of course, there was the detail of installing the battery and synchronization, which resulted in some inconvenient hijacking.
Then, the fun finally started as boys began learning to control the movement of their drones. This was not without some funny and interesting moments. Some boys sent their copters onto the roof, which meant the ladders came out to rescue the stranded drones. There was the occasional crunch of a drone hitting the wall or being stepped on under foot. Add to that the problem of extracting hair from an unplanned head landing, and you get an exciting event.
But amazingly, most of the drones survived the hazards, and the boys completed the challenges, including Speed Race, Obstacle Course, Lunar Lander, and Maneuverability. A few boys even mastered the skill of performing a flip with their drones. All in all, it was a great challenge and learning experience for the Royal Rangers.
Bill McGreehan
Ohio District
Outpost 283