E.L. Crossley students learning to fly
The first provincial STEM-based high school drone racing club at Pelham’s E.L. Crossley came about in unusual way.
It started out with a meeting in the parking lot of the high school, on Highway 20, last July between Niagara FPV Squad’s Abbey Solomon and Sharon Keller, the program leader for science at the school.
“I met Sharon when I was flying around the front yard of the school. She thought I was nuts for the first few weeks until she finally came over and asked what I was doing,” said Solomon.
Keller said in the summer she supervises students who take care of the gardens at E.L. Crossley, and one day she noticed a car pull up in the parking lot. That car showed up day after day.
“It would always park under the same tree and the person would get out and stand by it. They wouldn’t walk or run around the track, they didn’t have any kids with them.
They’d just be in and out of their car and then gone in 25 minutes.”
Keller wondered what the person was doing. One day he got out of his car with a box, and was wearing a pair of goggles.
“I felt like I was in a sci-fi movie. Then I saw he was flying a drone and watching him piqued my curiosity. I walked over and questioned him, asked him who he was and what he was doing. He started to question me and asked if I worked at the school.”
Once the two started talking and getting to know who each other were, Solomon suggested starting a drone program at the high school.
“I said it wouldn’t be easy to start a program, but I could start a club and asked him if he would help,” said Keller.
Solomon agreed to help out and the school’s drone racing team was formed.
It took until the second half of the school year to secure funding, and bring together the 16 students that make up the team.
“We’ re( NiagaraFPVSquad) helping the students build the dr ones, which coincides with the fundamentals of STEM,” said Solomon, who was at the school this week with fellow Niagara FPV Squad member Trevor Christensen.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“All of these things relate to building a drone, like finding out how electricity works, proper weight distribution, power to weight ratios,” said Solomon.
He said Niagara FPV Squad gathered up drone kits for 16 students, broken down into four teams of four, and Wednesday was the second build day.
Keller said there was a general call out for students for the club and they had to apply, and have two teachers recommend them. Students from grades 9 through 12 form the team.
One of those students is Raj Sohi, who thought the drone racing club would be a good way to bring together new students.
“I want to be an electrical engineer and I thought joining would help me learn about electrical components in the drone,” he said, adding it may help when goes to university and joins a drone club.
While he’s never flown a drone or built a drone before, Sohi said he has played around with remotecontrolled cars and helicopters.
“I’m glad to be part of this,” he said.
Club member Shahvaz Momi said he has a toy drone, but not a racing drone, and was looking forward to building one from scratch at the school.
“We have all the main parts, the frame, the motors, electronics. We’re going to solder the parts together and assemble the drones. Once we’re finished building them, we’re going to actually do races and take part in competitions,” said Momi, adding the students had been practising flying on a simulator.
Solomon said the hope is once all of the drones are done, the high school team will compete and have its own Multi GP chapter. Multi GP is a worldwide group that promotes and runs drone racing with chapters across the globe.