Highly popular for professional video and film recording, as well as commercial and military purposes, drones will fly over Istanbul next weekend for the Turkey Drone League (TDL) at KüçükÇiftlik Park.On March 11, more than 30 Turkish and international drone pilots will compete to fly their drones as fast as possible while passing a number of obstacles. The upcoming race in Istanbul will be the first part of the league, which will continue with races in İzmir, Ankara, Adana and Eskişehir. The winner will represent Turkey at international drone competitions.Samet Bilim, one of the drone pilots joining the races, said, "I normally use drones for professional recording and will be my first time in a drone race. The event will be a very exciting one."Another contestant Batuhan Esirger said that flying drones is a hobby for him."Although drone pilots control the device on the ground, we almost share the same excitement with airplane pilots," Esirger said.Çağrı Baydemir, one of the founders of Turkey Drone League, said the event is just one step to make drone races more common in Turkey."Flying drones are not merely entertainment. It has already become a professional field," Baydemir said.The top three drone pilots will receive cash prizes at the end of the competition series.Set up by Can Tayfun, Özge Dede and Çağrı Baydemir, the Turkey Drone League will also offer professional training for amateur drone pilots and provide technical assistance.Drones come in different sizes and have different features and there around 20 million drone users around the world. They provide endless innovative business opportunities. However drone use might pose security risks due to the desire for unlimited use, and bans on drone usage have been implemented in some countries.The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is trying to establish a global framework for the future use of drones.