Istanbul Teknofest hosts World Drone Cup

The World Drone Cup, organised in the Turkish technology and aerospace fair Teknofest Istanbul, is gathering 64 top-level pilots from 37 countries.

Pilots will race during the five-day competition, organised by Drone Racers Sports Club Association, starting on Tuesday.

Goksel Kervanci, the head of the association, said in the first two days of the competition pilots will make test flights before qualification laps in the third and fourth days.

At the last day of the event, the number of pilots will drop to 32 and they will compete for the first place, he stressed.

Unique obstacles were designed for the pilots in the competition, he added.

Kervanci noted, "Some racers join 80 competitions annually, they want to see different racecourses."

Russian plane debuts international flight for Teknofest

A Russian produced passenger plane flew to Turkey to make its first international flight for Teknofest, Turkey’s largest technology and aerospace event, the test pilot said on Tuesday.

Manufactured by Irkut Corporation, the MC-21 passenger plane flew to Istanbul on Monday to join the festival in Istanbul for an exhibition.

The test pilot of the plane Oleg Mutovin told Anadolu Agency that it is important for a country to produce its own aircraft since designing and developing its parts contributes to national development.

The aircraft, with the widest body in its class, has 211 passenger capacity and 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) flight range, Mutovin said.

The plane — 42.20 meters in length and with a 35.90 metre-long wingspan — will make demonstration flights twice during the festival.

Another Russian aircraft, SU-35 warplane, is also on display in Teknofest.

Teknofest Istanbul

Istanbul Ataturk Airport is hosting the six-day festival, co-organised by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and the Industry and Technology Ministry. 

The festival will host numerous activities such as aviation shows, seminars, workshops, drone championship, contests, and concerts.

Last year’s premier festival, hosted by the new Istanbul Airport, was visited by over half a million people. This year, it is expected to double in attendance, attracting a million visitors.