Today, we are glad to announce that Gabriel Kocher better known as Gab707 will be joining DroneDJ as a contributor with exclusive content related to drone racing as well as with his unique perspective of the latest news and developments in the FPV world. As a means of introducing Gab707, we thought that a short interview that we conducted last week would be the right place to start. Welcome on board Gabriel!
Our interview with Gab707
DroneDJ: Can you tell us who you are, where you are from and where do you mostly fly your drones?
Gab707: I’m Gabriel Kocher aka. Gab707. I’m originally Swiss, but I am based in Montreal Canada. I fly drones all over the world, be it for racing of shooting. Two of my favourite type of places are inside forests/jungles or high in the mountains.
DroneDJ: When did you start flying drones and how did you get into that?
Gab707: I started around 3 years ago, I was into photography at the time. I wanted to get aerial perspective, but couldn’t really afford a fancy camera drone. That’s where I went online and learned how to build my own from parts ordered left and right. After a week of DIY and tinkering, it finally worked!
Gab707 in his element during the BMW Welt DRL event last weekend.
DroneDJ: How and when did you get into fpv/race drones?
Gab707: Once I got my drone airborne, I had to find a way to see what I was shooting, and so I installed a first-person view kit and started flying it through a screen. My passion for fpv rapidly grew because it is just such a natural and intuitive way to explore places! After watching videos of other pilots online, I realized that I seemed to have all the skills to compete! A few months into flying I attended my first ever fpv race and won! That was the trigger to my career.
DroneDJ: Can you tell us a bit about the races you have entered and your results?
Gab707: I am the Runner-up world champion in the 2017 Allianz World championship, as well as the 2016 and 2017 Canadian national champion.
DroneDJ: What drone and gear do you currently use?
Gab707: I always build all my drones myself, with parts that I hand pick. My general use frame is the Strix screech, Hobbywing 2207 2450kv motors Hobbywing 4in1 esc and fc, TBS crossfire full tx and micro rx, TBS unify vtx Strix hoot antenna s, Azure 5140 props, tattu 1800mAh 4s R-Line, Runcam swift mini, Gopro hero6 black.
DroneDJ: Who are your sponsors?
Gab707: My main sponsors are Hobbywing, Tattu, Azure Power and Strix RC.
DroneDJ: What events/races will you take part in for the rest of this year?
Gab707: The DRL circuit is my main occupation this year. While most of the season is already behind us, the final level in Munich Germany and the World Championship in Saudi Arabia are still coming up! The other bigger international event I tend to attend is the MultiGP International Open. I also need to defend my title as the Canada drone racing champion (I have won the Canadian nationals two years in a row 2016 and 2017), and that will be done at the MultiGP Canada Nationals. I also have an international ticket to the MultiGP US national championship so I might give that a go too.
DroneDJ: I believe you have an event coming up with BMW later this month (note: that was this weekend). Can you tell us a bit about that?
Gab707: The race at the BMW Welt in Munich is unique this DRL season since it is the only live event! We are expecting a big crowd that will be able to follow the racing from both inside the building and jumbotrons outside! There is a Fan zone set up all afternoon with chances to meet the pilots, while the racing starts at 7 pm. For us pilots it is very exciting to race in front of this many people, we’ll see how everyone does under pressure from the crowd cheers!
DroneDJ: Do you have some tips for people who want to get into fav/race drones
Gab707: Everyone seems to think that to be a racing pilot you need to be fast. My main advice is to go slow! When you go too fast you crash yourself out, don’t finish the race, damage equipment, and your motivation takes a toll. Learning what your abilities and limits are is one of the hardest skills to learn in drone racing, so take it easy and with more time in the air you’ll be progressing in no time!
DroneDJ: Where you people follow you and your drone flying
Gab707: Best way to keep up with the stuff that I’m doing, is through my social media platforms:
Youtube/Airvuz is where my more polished content goes.
Instagram/Facebook with more raw clips, behind the scenes and regular updates.
DroneDJ: Lastly, I heard you will become a contributor for DroneDJ. That’s very exciting! What kind of content can people expect from you there?
Gab707: As a Contributor on DroneDJ a lot of my nicer videos will be published exclusively on the platform before anyone else sees them! It will be a chance to get an inside view on the new content too. I also plan on having a little segment where you can count on regular news/updates from the fpv community! See the hot topics and cool videos coming out.
DroneDJ: Thank you for your time and your future contributions, Gabriel. We are all looking forward to seeing more action from you like what you showed us in the video below!
Drone pilot Gab707 is really excited about racing at BMW Welt on Saturday and can't wait for the @DroneRaceLeague Allianz World Championship Semi-finals. #DRLxBMW #BMWWelt pic.twitter.com/8OhvMIjvx3
— BMW Welt I Museum (@BMW_Welt) July 26, 2018
Warning: GAB707 is FAST. pic.twitter.com/ttLpjxPQRp
— Drone Racing League (@DroneRaceLeague) July 26, 2018
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