The sky's the limit

Despite her title as the world's youngest female drone champion, Wanraya Wannapong doesn't like being in the spotlight. Even with all eyes and cameras on her as she mounts the winning podium holding first prize, she keeps her poker face.

Wanraya, 12, is the world’s youngest female drone champion.

"I don't want anyone to know how I feel," said Wanraya, a 6th-grader at Suvit Serianusorn Primary School in Bangkok, who turned 12 yesterday. But she couldn't help drawing public attention when she won the first Women's FAI World Drone Racing Championship, held by the World Air Sports Federation in Shenzhen, China recently. She was the youngest champion at the event.

Wanraya started flying drones when she was eight years old. Her father, Arwut Wannapong, now 48, introduced her to them as way of encouraging her to do an outdoor activity.

"We used to play with a remote-controlled helicopter when she was seven years old. She liked it and was able to control it well, even though her hands were small," Arwut recalled. So when drone technology became the hot new thing, he quickly took it up and became hooked. He encouraged his children to try. Wanraya's big brother, now 22, didn't take to it. But his little sister certainly did. Wanraya fell in love with drone flying instantly.

"It's fun," she said, going on to explain that she likes flying drones because it gives her freedom. When she puts on the head-mounted display, she sees through the camera at the front of the drone and flies it as if seated in the pilot's seat.

Wanraya and her father practise for two hours every day after school and for half a day at the weekend at a vacant lot in Phatthanakan. Arwut checks the readiness of the drone, then gives her the signal to go. Wanraya wastes no time in getting it off the ground. She flies fast, up and down, left and right around all manner of obstacles. The more she practises, the more confidence she has for the next race.

Back in 2015, when she was new to drone flying, her mother was opposed the activity, saying that it was a boy's toy. But for Wanraya, drones have no gender barrier. Her supportive father then started training her by laying out simple obstacle courses: two poles 30m apart, around which she would try making a loop. Later, he asked his drone-flying friends if she could take part in their weekly races. The result was impressive. His daughter always won, even against the adults.

Arwut Wannapong, right, checks the readiness of the drone before a practice session.

Two months on, when he discovered that there was to be a drone racing contest in Thung Si Kan organised by the Radio Control Flying Club at Don Mueang, he entered Wanraya for the race. It was her first time competing against more experienced contestants. Out of 20 competitors, she finished second from last. Nevertheless, the event inspired Arwut, who realised that drone flying provided an opportunity for his daughter, with so many racing events in Thailand and abroad.

"She is a quick learner, and sharp. She can compete with adults. She has the skill and I want her to succeed in the thing that she loves," he said. During their first year, father and daughter entered numerous events. Though she often lost, she never gave up. She admitted, though, that she cried sometimes, especially when her drone was hit by another during a race, instantly disqualifying both. She always felt hard done by to lose a race through no fault of her own.

"It is hard to prevent a collision because I don't know who's flying next to me. I can only see what's in front of me," she said.

Arwut creates an obstacle course for his daughter.

She has to be as fast as possible to avoid getting hit. Her technique is not to blink. When flying at speeds of up to 170km per hour, that millisecond where you blink is enough to cause an accident. On average, the eyes blink every four seconds -- about 15 times per minute. So during each race, which normally lasts about one and a half minutes, Wanraya blinks only a couple of times.

"I had to train myself not to blink. Sometimes, my eyes hurt because of the dryness. I use eye drops," she said.

Her skills keep improving day by day. And her efforts started bearing fruit last year. She was invited to join NexxBlades Racing's young pilot team, one of the world's leading drone racing teams from Britain. They entered the Drone Prix Munich, a drone champions league held in Germany last June, and finished in fourth place.

"The Drone Prix Munich was the most challenging race because the tracks were built over water. It was my first time flying over water. It was scary, but fun. I enjoy team racing," she said.

Wanraya maintains concentration while controlling the drone.

Two months later, Wanraya entered the Drone Racing Challenge KMITL at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Thailand. She claimed first place. Then, after winning the title in Shenzhen, she also finished first in the International Drone Racing Challenge at the Alisports World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) Hong Kong E-sports Festival 2018. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Wanraya has taken part in 23 drone racing events in seven countries, taking her places she never dreamed of visiting at such a young age.

Atthakan Suebchuea, director of Suvit Serianusorn Primary School.

It's not all good news, however. The competitions sometimes take her away from school. But Wanraya is studious. She is an A student, with a GPA of 3.7. She says she enjoys English and math. She doesn't have Facebook or play computer games because she does not want to be distracted.

"Wanraya is an ideal student. She knows how to manage her time very well," said Atthakan Suebchuea, director of Suvit Serianusorn Primary School. Realising out-of-classroom experiences are paramount, Atthakan fully supports Wanraya by assigning a teacher to be her special advisor. Her friends also help inform her about school assignments when she is away, so she can catch up. Inspired by Wanraya, the director plans to launch a student drone club this year.

"I want to support our students and let them develop their skills like Wanraya. I want to create the club and let our kids learn about the technology. I know this will benefit them in the future," he said, adding that drone pilots are needed in many fields, including agriculture, business and the military. The technology has the potential to open up new opportunities for children.

When asked what she wanted to be in the future, Wanraya shook her head. She has no idea what the future has in store. Now, she wants to be an international drone champion, like 14-year-old Minchan Kim from South Korea, the world's best drone pilot.

"He's my idol. I want to be like him so I have to practise more," she said.

Wanraya, centre, coming first at the first Women’s FAI World Drone Racing Champion 2018 in China. Photo courtesy of the Royal Aeronautic Sports Association of Thailand