New Orleans Debuts Drone Racing Course at Historic Avondale Model Field

Drone racers have a new place to cut clean lines and lap gates at the New Orleans Model Aviation Club's historic Avondale field, which opened a permanent FPV course to the public on January 19, 2026. Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 20 minutes from downtown New Orleans, the facility transforms one of South Louisiana's oldest model aviation sites into a modern racing venue that bridges hobby flying and competitive drone sport.

The Avondale field is already known in RC circles for its infrastructure; club materials point to a 400-foot paved runway and amenities that make sustained practice and small events feasible. The addition of a purpose-built race course leverages that infrastructure for first-person-view racing, giving local pilots a consistent space to hone gate-to-gate transitions, tune race quads, and stage league nights. Inaugural sessions attracted a cross-section of pilots from weekend hobbyists to experienced FPV racers, who used the course to refine flight lines and test setups in a controlled, community-managed environment.

Performance at the debut stressed skills that separate fast lap times from crash-heavy runs: clean throttle management through technical sections, confident commitment through stacked gates, and quick recovery on hard landings. Team dynamics were evident even in pickup formats, with pilots trading setup tips, battery strategies, and repair workflows after crashes. The club environment accelerated learning curves and reinforced the grassroots culture that fuels MultiGP chapters nationwide.

Industry trends underpin the significance of this local development. As drone racing expands beyond festival exhibitions into regularized league competition, venues like Avondale become critical for talent pipelines and event hosting. A stable course increases the likelihood of sanctioned races, attracts sponsor interest, and creates content opportunities for streaming and social media. For local businesses, a calendar of events can translate into weekend foot traffic, hospitality bookings, and sponsorship crossovers with electronics and outdoor brands.

Culturally, situating a cutting-edge FPV track at a long-standing model aviation site symbolizes continuity in Southern flight communities, where generations share hangar space and repair benches. Socially, the course opens pathways into STEM and technical trades for younger participants, offering hands-on experience in aerodynamics, radio systems, and fabrication. Accessible local racing also broadens the sport beyond urban centers, reinforcing drone racing's community-driven model.

For pilots and organizers interested in getting involved, the New Orleans Model Aviation Club operates the field as the premier RC site in South Louisiana and can be contacted through Jeff C at info@nolarc.com. For league affiliation and race structure, MultiGP.com remains the central clearinghouse for rules and event listings. The Avondale course is now a practical proving ground where the region's FPV scene can grow, host competition, and feed a larger ecosystem of teams, tech, and fans.