Synopsis

This year I'm playing the International Game of Whoop. From here on, I will refer to it as IGOW. What exactly is IGOW, you may ask? It is a variation of the game of HORSE except for FPV tiny whoops and played by multiple players on the internet. By "HORSE", I mean the basketball game. Each week, a challenge is assigned to all the players. The weekly challenge consists of a trick or combination of tricks each player must complete. Players are required to record a video of the challenge and submit it as the proof of completion. This recording is usually a DVR video from an FPV goggle, split camera, mounted camera, or in some rare cases, a video from a third person perspective camera. Players have approximately seven days to complete each challenge. Each being due every Friday. On the following Saturday, all video submissions are reviewed and given a "pass" or "fail" grade. In the event of a "fail" a letter will be assinged to the player. In total, the letters spell the word IGOW. If a player completes the entire word IGOW, he/she officially "whoops-out" and is eliminated from the game. For a full listing of the rules checkout the official IGOW website or their IGOW Youtube Channel.

Season Schedule

2023 is IGOW's fourth year. The point of playing is more focused on having fun, improving your piloting skills and interacting with other players in the FPV / Whoop community.

My Submissions

I will be tracking my submission progress in this article and will be updating this entry weekly. If you have any sugesstions, tips or critiques of my flying, let me know in the comments section below.

Challenge #1 - Orbit

I chose to fly outside on the top of two large buildings. There was a mild breeze which kept my orbits less than perfect. The video requirements for this challenge include:

1. 2 counter clockwise orbits around a POI
2. 2 clockwise orbits around a POI

Challenge #2 - GNB Chair-lympics

This challenge had a bit more substance than the first one. The only requirement other than the drone was a chair. The video requirements for this challenge include:

1. Figure 8 through the chair legs
2. Do a flip
3. Mavrick power loop
4. Do a roll
5. Beginner Matty
6. 306 degree yaw spin
7. Land on the chair
8. Profit!

For this challenge I used a Happymodel Mobula6

Challenge #3 - Tiny Whoop Building Dives

This challenge was more difficult than I imagined. I have never dived buildings with a tiny whoop before. The lack of weight made it difficult to stay on track and keep the winds and air currents from blowing the little guy all over the place. I crashed three times in total and almost lost my drone on the roof of the building. Check out the video below for crash outtakes. For this challenge I used a Happymodel Mobula7. The video requirements for this challenge include:

Challenge #4 - Split-S to Loop

This one was a bit more challenging, because I decided to split-s through my extended arms while holding my transmitter. This challenge cost me a broken motor, which I re-wound and fixed later. I'll be posting an article and video on how to do this in the following weeks. For this challenge, I used a Happymodel Mobula7. The requirements for this video include:

1. Split-S over an object and dive a gap (left and right sides)
2. Do a selfie power loop through your legs
3. Split-S over an object and do two consecutive power loops around it.

Challenge #5 - Mattyflips

For this set of challenges, I tried to keep the drone low to the ground. In doing so, it made each challenge all the more difficult. Since I was doing mattyflips, I set my camera angle higher (ca. 40-45°). For this challenge, I used a Happymodel Mobula7. The video requirements for this challenge include:

1. Juicy Flick
2. Mattyflip to Roll
3. Double Mattyflip to Juicy Flick Combo

Challenge #6 - Rubik's Cube

I went to my local Sportplatz to finish this week's challenge only to be greeted with pouring rain. I waited almost 2 hours before the weather cleared. During my wait, I caught up with my Klingon lessons on Duolingo, then got bored and crashed one of my HD-Whoops into some wet grass, which shorted out the HD camera. For this challenge, I'm flying my Happymodel Mobula7. The video requirements for this challenge include:

1. Can be any trick in any location - I did a 360° Yaw Spin
2. Must be a Rubik's Cube
3. Can be any trick but it must be performed on an obstacle - I did a Power Loop
4. Must be a 360 Inverted Yaw Spin
5. Can be any trick but it must be performed on an obstacle - I did a Split-S
6. Must be a Cubik's Rube
7. Can be any trick in any location - I did a front flip

Challenge #7 - Inverted Orbits

From what I remember, inverted orbits were originally called "cyclones" by MattyStuntz, were then renamed to "trippy spins" by LeDrib, are also known as "wonky nips" cough ... regardless, inverted orbits are not easy. The initial learning curve is steep, but once you understand the movements, they are relaviely easy to reproduce. Differeing from the other challenges, I had to practice in Velocidrone to get it right. In the past, inverted orbits were something I could pull off, but they never looked very good and I had a problem keeping the quad from slowly gaining altitude until my POI got out of view. Needless to say, I still have a lot to learn and my inverted orbits are far from perfect. For this video, the POI is a German Maibaum aka Maypole. I'm flying my Happymodel Mobula7 again. The video requirements for this challenge include:

1. You must complete at least 2 CW inverted orbits in a row. Your POI must stay at the top of your FPV view, it cannot go into the corners or onto the sides at any point during your 2 required rotations. 60 Degree MAXIMUM Camera Angle

2. You must complete at least 2 CCW inverted orbits in a row. Your POI must stay at the top of your FPV view, it cannot go into the corners or onto the sides at any point during your 2 required rotations. 60 Degree MAXIMUM Camera Angle

3. You must complete at least 1 inverted orbit (either direction) and then perform a "switchback" and then perform at least 1 inverted orbit in the opposite direction. Your POI must stay at the top of your FPV view, it cannot go into the corners or onto the sides at any point during your 2 required rotations. The POI can only very briefly go to the corner or top of the side of the FPV view during your switchback but it cannot go to the bottom of your view at all. 60 Degree MAXIMUM Camera Angle

For this challenge I got my first letter "I" because I didn't perform the "switchback" correctly. Later, after practicing in the simulator, I figured it out. Taking part in IGOW has already made me a better pilot!

Challenge #8 - Half Matty Immelmann

So yeah, let's do some Half Matties and some Immelmanns! I realized I'm a real humbug. Kids just want to play in the park and I'm thinking, "buzz off you little rug rats, I got an IGOW video to do!" I'm flying my Happymodel Mobula7 again. The video requirements for this challenge include:

Requirement #1: The Immelmann Turn

You must perform one Immelmann on any under over obstacle of your choice. For the immelmann turn you MUST see the Horizon before completing the roll to level, not all sky. The entire sequence cannot have any bumps or ground taps of any kind.

Requirement #2: Half-Matty Pendulum

Can be performed on any under opstacle of your choice. Perform at least 3 half-matties back-to-back-to-back in a Pendulum-like motion switching roll directions for each half matty. The entire sequence cannot have bumps ground taps of any kind and Must be performed in a pendulum-like motion. Clip #2 in Example Submission.

Requirement #3: TWO Combos (one with all left rolls, one with all right rolls)

I should have read the requirements better before I did the video. I didn't switch directions between the half matties. I also added a roll in the wrong direction for requirement 3. Looks like I'll be getting "IG".

Whooping Out and Conclusion

Unfortunately I am unable to keep up with creating video content for the rest of IGOW season 4. I will be abroad for some weeks and won't have access to whoop gates and other necessary props.

In summary, taking part in IGOW was a great experience. I had a lot of fun and to top it off, I have become a better pilot. I will definitely be competing next year for IGOW. That means I will have a year to tune my piloting skills. Who knows, maybe I will rank higher next time. I would like to thank FPV Skittles for the hard work and massive amounts of time he puts into this project. Check out his YouTube page and subscribe. With that said, I humbly bow out for this season and will see you next year.