'We finally did it': Drone operators raise money for veterans with Sunday race

A group of drone pilots are using their hobby to fight hunger.

A group of drone pilots are using their hobby to fight hunger.

On Sunday, the grocery aisles of the food bank at the Veterans Association of Edmonton became a race course for micro drones.

Six pilots paid an entry fee, in the form of a donation to the food bank, for the chance to race their through shelves at up to 40 kilometres an hour.

"It's a rush," said one organizer, Martin Vendrame. "Even though they are very small, they move pretty fast so you have to have very good skills to be able to control these drones and fly through tight spaces.

"And then you also have to know how to fix them when you crash them."

Vendrame, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces for six years, said Sunday's event was the culmination of close to a year of work by a group of drone operators sharing a love of racing.

"It's been quite a while in the making, but we finally did it. So we're pretty excited about that," Vendrame said.