Recently we caught up with Bhavesh Sangani, a drone enthusiast based in Bengaluru. Bhavesh’s first introduction to drones happened during his college days. As Bhavesh recounts, he was visiting a toy store and a remote controlled helicopter caught his eye. Even though it was expensive, especially for a college student, he brought it. But the helicopter crashed and broke within 15 minutes of its first flight. The disappointment drove Bhavesh to create his first quadcopter. From then onwards there was no looking back. Bhavesh ended up representing his college in various aero-modelling competitions including the prestigious SAE Aero International. During one such event, he ended up meeting the COO of QuEST Global, where he is currently employed.
As for his choice of drones, Bhavesh owns and operates a DJI Phantom 4 and a DJI Mavic. Bhavesh is a part of a small but growing community of FPV flyers in India. First-Person-View flying, or FPV flying as it is commonly known, is a niche sport where competitors fly their drone using VR equipment.
When asked about the current state of drone regulations in India, Bhavesh said it is an issue of safety and people need to made aware of how to safely operate drones. On the other hand, the regulations should allow recreational, industrial and civilian usage of drone within safe limits so that drone operators can function freely. As an example he cites the role college students played in helping out in the recent floods in Kerala. He believes the drone enthusiasts and hobbyists form a very active group and the government should involve them as stakeholders in the larger discussion. He hopes as the government comes out with progressive it will lead to a boom in adoption of drones among the general populace.
Bhavesh regularly posts on his Instagram handle @bhaveshsangani8 and on his Youtube channel.
