Engineers Gather For National Championships Of Drone Racing On Governors Island

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- What began as a fun activity for hobbyists has turned into a competitive sport.

This weekend, the National Championships of Drone Racing will take place on Governors Island.

As CBS2's Steve Overmyer explained, it's a sport like any other.

"It's extreme, we're flying through the air at 70 mph, and looking through a camera with terrible resolution," Chris Wong said.

Drone racing is the aerial version of F! racing. It requires lightning fast reflexes to navigate tight turns at high speeds with a hand built drone, not much bigger than your hand.

The pilot's perspective is on board.

"When you put the goggles on and you feel what we feel. The adrenaline rush is immersive. You feel like you're in this drone right here," Wong explained.

Man has always wanted to fly and this is the closest thing to that reality. It feels like being in the pilot seat of a fighter jet, CBS2's Overmyer explained.

"That's how we feel. You become one with the drone. There's no better feeling for me," Wong said.

More than 1,400 pilots went through qualifying, the competition is now down to the top 145.

Steve Zoumas owns a construction firm on Long Island, but is also one of the top drone pilots in the world. His optics are limited to a small camera.

"We're navigating a course that's laid out for us. Obviously the better racers know the better lines, and that comes with practice," he said.

Zoumas won the first ever professional drone race. His advice to newcomers is be calm.

"Controlling your nerves. A lot of guys fly really well, but they don't control their nerves," he said.

Zoumas has the highest of ambitions for his drone racing career.

"I grew up loving Jeter, and we are in New York, so yeah hopefully I'd become the Jeter of drone racing. I'd love that," he said.

The pilots also have to be engineers. They tear the drones down and rebuild them every week to keep up with the latest technology.