In brief: DIY engineers are constantly pushing the limits of drone performance and design. Recently, a YouTuber built what is believed to be the world's smallest first-person-view drone. Around the same time, other enthusiasts were refining their builds for speed with one even targeting a Guinness World Record.
A pair of custom-built designs recently demonstrated just how fast FPV drones can go. One highlights the extreme engineering required to push these machines beyond 300 mph, incorporating liquid cooling systems and motors powerful enough to draw more electricity than an average household.
YouTuber "German Engineer" designed one such drone, inspired by the X-Wing from Star Wars. While previous attempts – like Propel's official X-Wing quadcopter – showed that the iconic design struggles to fly efficiently, a few thoughtful modifications reveal that the movies weren't far off from what could be an aerodynamically optimal FPV configuration.
Positioning the propellers at the tips of the wings allowed the X-Wing drone to take off vertically like a conventional quadcopter before tilting forward into horizontal flight, similar to a fixed-wing aircraft. After reinforcing the fuselage for stability and mounting an articulating nose camera, the YouTuber recorded a top speed of 152 mph. The final test flight took place over Lake Como in Italy, a fitting choice given that scenes from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones were filmed there.
Meanwhile, similar experimental designs have been competing for the Guinness World Record for the fastest drone. Luke Bell and his father, Mike, initially claimed the title in June with their custom-built Peregreen 2, which reached 298 mph. However, Samgo's Fastboy 2 soon shattered that record, hitting 346 mph.
For the Bells, managing energy and heat became the main challenge in their quest to reclaim first place – one early prototype even caught fire mid-flight. Controlling thermals in an ultra-high-speed FPV drone required developing a heat-resistant 3D printing resin and building a custom liquid-cooling system with a heatsink and water block to keep temperatures under control.
The new drone also uses a battery exceeding 16 kW, which, according to Luke, is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of three average households running at full load.
After fine-tuning the design to improve aerodynamics and stability, the Bells achieved a new unofficial top speed of 363 mph. An official Guinness World Record attempt is reportedly planned for the near future.
For those interested in recreating the builds, files for 3D-printing the X-Wing drone are available on Printables and MakerWorld. The Bells have shared links to their drone designs and equipment in the description of their YouTube video.