The Drone Racing League, United States Air Force Announce Initiative To Elevate Women Pilots

The Drone Racing League unveils the “DRL’s Women Taking Flight,” a historic program to elevate women in sports, technology and aviation. The U.S. Air Force signed on as a founding partner of the initiative, which will launch drone racing competitions, esports tournaments, and STEM curriculum to recruit the best women drone pilots to fly in DRL and encourage all women to rise in traditionally male-dominated spaces. The DRL Women Taking Flight program debuts as DRL’s female fandom quadruples in size.

“The Drone Racing League is a fierce champion of diversity and inclusion, and we are excited to partner with the U.S. Air Force to further level the playing field in sports and technology. Our DRL Women Taking Flight platform will inspire women and girls to pursue their dream careers as drone pilots, athletes and engineers while helping them develop their skills so they can compete on the highest stages,” says DRL President Rachel Jacobson.

The DRL Women Taking Flight program will invite top women drone racers to train with DRL Champion Pilots and compete in an esports tournament on the DRL SIM, the true-to-life drone racing video game, for a chance to receive a professional contract in the league. The winning pilot will be named a DRL Pilot, participating in DRL races and supporting DRL’s upcoming “Girls Who Fly” STEM course to encourage girls to aim high and pursue tech, sports and aviation careers.

“The Drone Racing League continues to be a valued partner that shares our passion for technology, speed and precision. Through the DRL Women Taking Flight program, the Air Force is able to connect with a talented group of drone pilots, as well as tech innovators and their audience,” says Barry Dickey, Air Force Recruiting Service’s Chief Marketing Officer. “DRL, and this partnership, helps us inform women of opportunities in the Air Force and Space Force, so we’re thrilled to help these women pilots soar to new heights and Aim High.”

The DRL Women Taking Flight initiative aims to foster gender equity in sports, technology, and aviation, which struggle with gender disparity: Women currently make up around just 5% of pilots, receive only 15% of the U.S. sports media coverage despite participating in nearly half of all sports competitions, and hold less than 27% of tech-related jobs even though diverse organizations are eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes, according to the Centre for Aviation, Wasserman and Deloitte respectively.

The program will enable the Drone Racing League and the U.S. Air Force to open new horizons for women in drone racing, sports, and STEM and set a new standard for diversity and inclusion in the sky and beyond.