Behind-the-scenes: Flying car Airspeeder’s first live broadcast

Airspeeder – the ‘Formula 1 of the Sky’ – has teamed up with EMG to enable the live broadcasts of its events.

The sport had to solve “myriad challenges” associated with the live broadcasting of fast-moving aerial vehicles. Safety was a primary issue. The Airspeeder vehicles are curently electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that are operated remotely, rather than with a pilot on board. The plan is to soon have manned craft, so safety is clearly going to be a major issue going forward.

Safety considerations include the available space inside the craft and the added weight of cameras, an RF unit and ancillary equipment. Added to this is the RF signal availability and reliable connectivity in the remote locations the races are taking place. Navigating the intricacies of live broadcasting from fast-moving aerial vehicles posed a big challenge, too, requiring meticulous planning and a range of innovations to ensure the safety of both onboard systems and spectators.

EMG Connectivity designed a battery-powered RF on-board camera system around the Livetools Fusion HEVC transmitter and Aerial Camera Systems’ mini cameras for initial testing at Airspeeder’s HQ in Adelaide, Australia.

Following a month of intensive camera and RF spectrum tests while safely on the ground, the aerial trial took place approximately an hour outside Adelaide in the desert.

The Airspeeder team was concerned the Livetools Fusion transmitter would interfere with other RF or GPS systems or even the flight control systems on the craft, but EMG Connectivity’s RF system proved free of interference with any other system, and the Airspeeder team were happy with the live shots achieved.

For the Series Championship in December 2023, also outside Adelaide, invited guests watched as three Airspeeder craft competed in the Series Championships. The camera spec was to supply Airspeeder 1 with four onboard cameras and Airspeeders 2 & 3 with one onboard camera each. This was to be the world’s first live broadcast of an aerial car race.

In each Airspeeder was a Livetools Fusion HEVC transmitter transmitting simultaneous signals from each camera back to the Outside Broadcast facility.

There were also three filming drones, capturing the live in-race action. Views from the onboard cameras and filming drones were shown live in the sponsorship enclosure.

Following this successful proof of concept, with Airspeeder technology still in its infancy, there is scope to adapt to challenges while maintaining safety as the priority. Phase two includes fine-tuning camera mounts and tackling issues of power for more cameras and higher RF spectrum availability in remote locations.

Another area of development will be the addition of broadcast graphics, which will provide the viewer with crucial information about races as well as Airspeeder craft and pilot information and statistics.

Chris Brandrick, EMG connectivity commercial director, said: “Participating in the world’s inaugural flying car race series is an extremely exciting project to be involved with. It’s not just about racing in the air; it’s about stretching the limits of possibility and embracing the excitement of innovation. Partnering with Airspeeder enables us to contribute to the evolution of this thrilling race series and continually explore new ideas.”

Aerial Camera Systems sales director, Matt Coyde, added: “It’s been a great pleasure working with Airspeeder to bring the race series coverage from conceptual to live. We very much look forward to continuing our collaboration with them to further enhance the broadcast output of this exciting and unique aerial car racing series”.

Stephen Sidlo, director of media and marketing, Airspeeder, said: “Looking ahead, the successful proof of concept achieved by Airspeeder and EMG sets the stage for further innovation and deepening collaboration. Our relationship with EMG can only grow as we continue to explore new horizons in aerial racing broadcasting. Together, we envision enhancing camera mounts, expanding broadcasting capabilities to filming drones, and integrating live AR graphics to elevate the viewer experience. These unique live views will not only captivate sports audiences but also serve as a proof of concept for major advanced air mobility markets and modern air traffic control solutions for eVTOLs.”