Ostend student to attempt world’s longest drone delivery
The student aims to transport a box of chocolates on a 75km route over the North Sea
Fly with the wind
The drone will be launched from the beach in Koksijde. It will fly for 25km over the North Sea, before returning to the starting point. Verbeeren decided to fly over water because of existing regulations.
“Belgium has many restricted zones, where you cannot fly with a drone,” he told Knack. “It’s more practical to do it over the sea.”
Verbeeren is a third-year aviation student at the Vives University College in Ostend. He’s conducting the project outside of his studies, with the help of Rob De Roo, a researcher at the school.
The first test flight is scheduled for 11 September and Verbeeren hopes to break the world record on 25 September, depending on weather conditions.
The drone is the DT18 model (pictured) that’s been customised by the Ghent office of the French drone company Delair-Tech. It is capable of flying at speeds of around 65km/h.
The project is supported by various partners, including electronics and appliance retailer Krëfel and software specialist Unifly.
The first test flight is scheduled for 11 September. For the record-breaking attempt, on 25 September, Verbeeren plans to fly a box of chocolates made by a candy shop in Londerzeel, Flemish Brabant.
