We were about to power on the device and I was nervous—not only would this be the test of months of planning and a week of fabrication, but it involved high current and explosive gasses. I tensed, flipped the switch, and grinned with relief and excitement as thousands of small bubbles formed on the metal plates inside the plexiglass tube. The bubbles, each containing hydrogen or oxygen, flowed out of the top of the hydroxy generator to be used as an explosive fuel that would turn back into water when combusted. My ten-year-old brain went into overdrive with ideas of how to use my new pyrotechnic tool, the first logical experiment being bottle rockets. Eventually, I moved to more productive experiments with the generator, such as doubling the run-time of a small leaf-blower engine by feeding the hydroxy gas into the intake of the carburetor. Better still, that engine powered a plywood hovercraft that I rode above the driveway.
My obsession with engineering began with drawing designs for boats and bush planes that I was surrounded and fascinated by growing up in Alaska, as well as more unique creations, my favorite being a detailed plan for a hang glider that I desperately wanted to build. I always had projects going, from spending hours oblivious to the cold, concrete floor of my best friend’s basement workshop as we built and rebuilt remote-control planes, to driving a seven-ton boom lift while my step-mom painted our house’s trim. In both my mom’s and dad’s households, I was given a lot of trust (mainly to not hurt myself) and responsibility, and that freedom fostered my passion for engineering and building.
I was twelve when I saw online videos of the first FPV (first-person view) racing drones. I had been flying photography drones for my dad’s mapping company, but racing drones captivated me entirely. Using FPV feed, a pilot wears immersive goggles that provide a cockpit view, giving the sense of flying. Racing drones are custom-built by each pilot, using carbon fiber, aluminum, and 3D-printed parts, making the craft extremely fast and nimble. I knew that this had to be my next project, but there was so much to learn: soldering, electronics, PID controllers, and more. I spent months obsessing over videos and forum posts to prepare for my parts to arrive. In addition to the engineering challenges, learning to fly a racing drone was a massive undertaking. Even though I could navigate stabilized photography drones with ease, it took months to become the least bit capable at, and years to begin to master, racing drones; the skill ceiling is limitless. The multifaceted nature of racing drones has held my interest for the past six years, and the pursuit of improvement has taken me to places I could not have imagined when I started. I have been incredibly lucky to travel to many different countries for competitions, gain podium finishes and a national championship, and co-found a profitable business—all as part of this journey.
In 2021, I took a gap year to focus on being a pilot in the Drone Racing League, the professional league aired on NBC. During the hundreds of hours of practice, I had a lot of time to consider what would be fulfilling in the long term. While I don’t have all the answers yet, I’m finding the most enjoyment from building and funding new companies that tie into my technological obsessions.
updated 4/4/22