Drone pilot hopes club will take flight

FLYING FUN: Drone enthusiast Regan Butler is hoping to start a club for drone racing and battling. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

A Rotorua man with a love for drones wants to find other enthusiasts to race and battle with.

Regan Butler said he became hooked on the flying robots, having seen them on television. He takes his small drone out to his local park in Utuhina three times a week to fly.

"I thought they were pretty cool and went on the internet to buy one," he said.

"I like all the possibilities, they can do all sorts of things and are becoming really innovative. They have attached a defibrillator to one and it can beat an ambulance or it's carried an inflatable ring for lifesavers."

Mr Butler said there were a few drone clubs in New Zealand but none that he knew of in Rotorua. He said he would soon be investing in a bigger drone.

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"People can race their drones with each other and I want to try to fight them. On YouTube, there is Game of Drones, based in America, who battle with each other. Kind of like the last one flying. I want to get people involved," he said.

"There's a lot of people that know about drones at the moment and they mainly use them for camera use, but flying them is also like a sport. They can be challenging to fly. I want to get a club and have people practise together."

Mr Butler is looking to start a local group for flying, racing or battling drones. He can be contacted through his Facebook page, New Zealand Drone Sports Leagues NZDSL.