Micro Drone Race Returns to Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH

For one weekend in February, the Korean War Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force will sound less like a quiet archive of military aviation and more like an indoor race arena.

From Feb. 20 to 22, 64 FPV pilots will compete in the 7th Annual Micro Drone Race, flying tight, high speed lines through a custom course built directly among historic aircraft inside the museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, as the museum announced on their website.

This is not an open field or a warehouse. The track snakes around real artifacts from the Korean War era, including the massive C-124 Globemaster II and the unmistakable twin fuselage F-82 Twin Mustang.

Pilots will run qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday, with the top 48 advancing into seeded brackets on Sunday. Champions will be crowned in Hobbyist, Sport, and Pro classes, giving racers at every level a serious shot at a podium finish.

For spectators, this is more than watching blinking LEDs in the distance. Large display screens will stream real time pilot view footage, delivering that immersive FPV perspective as drones dive through gates and carve tight turns just feet from aviation history.

It is one of the rare events where museum pieces and modern racing tech share the same airspace.

The event is organized by the Cincinnati Quad Racers, and in past years it has drawn more than 10,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, making it one of the most attended micro drone races in the country.

STEM, Simulators, and Future Pilots

Beyond the racing, the weekend doubles as a serious STEM showcase.

The Engineers Club of Dayton will highlight the evolution of flight technology, from early guidance systems and mechanical control components to the sensor and GPS driven systems that power modern drones.

Visitors can test radio control simulators and see how foundational aerospace engineering concepts connect directly to today’s unmanned systems.

Sinclair College will offer hands on activities focused on Unmanned Aerial Systems, including interactive drone simulators that teach the fundamentals of flight control, navigation, and system awareness. For younger attendees, this is a practical look at how drone racing and aerospace engineering can translate into real careers.

The race runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Admission and parking are free, which lowers the barrier for families and aviation enthusiasts who want to see high speed drone competition up close without buying a ticket.

DroneXL’s Take

Indoor micro racing inside one of the most important aviation museums in the United States is not just a novelty event. It is symbolic.

The aircraft in the Korean War Gallery represent an era when air dominance meant jets, bombers, and massive logistics platforms. Now, palm sized FPV drones weave between those machines, demonstrating how rapidly airpower has evolved. The contrast is impossible to ignore.

For the broader drone community, events like this matter. They expose thousands of visitors to modern drone technology in an environment that already commands respect. They also reinforce that small unmanned systems are not toys, they are precision platforms that demand skill, discipline, and technical understanding.

It is rare to see history and the future share the same room so literally. For three days in February, that is exactly what will happen.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force