A second-grade schoolgirl from Indiana, USA, Louisa Royer, began piloting a drone so she could better “explore the world” and help to “teach her friends about science”.
Fast forward a year, Louisa Royer won the 2023 Best New Drone Pilot Award at the AZDroneFest International Film Festival and, subsequently, became the world’s youngest drone videographer (female) at the age of 8 years 258 days.
“I asked for a drone as a gift because I love science, and it seemed like a fun way to explore the world from a different viewpoint,” Louisa told us about the start of her journey.
Her passion for travel, shared with her family on trips to places like Japan, Australia, Korea and various European countries, provided ample opportunities to hone her skills.
The suggestion from her science teacher to gather her top footage for film festivals turned what started as a hobby into a dedicated endeavour.
Louisa was inspired to pursue a world record after watching videos on the Guinness World Records YouTube channel. She stumbled upon a record held by a 13-year-old boy who used drones for mapping, which ignited her ambition to become the youngest female drone videographer.
Her film showcasing her drone videography, titled Dangerous Plants, garnered recognition and awards at several international film festivals, including the Thunderbird Drone Festival, Bloomington International Film Festival, and the Arizona Drone Film Festival, with the latter securing her the Guinness World Records title.
Learning to fly a drone safely and proficiently requires both skill and practice.
“Understanding how to safely fly the drone in different countries and locations was tough,” Louisa explains. “You have to be very aware of your surroundings to avoid airports and obstacles like power lines or trees”.
Additionally, flying the drone in the USA required her to pass a drone safety course from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Discovering that she had broken the world record was an exhilarating moment for the young filmmaker: “It’s amazing! It is really exciting and all of my friends and family are very proud of me which is a great feeling.”
Louisa loves science and maths and wants to be a science professor when she grows up. Besides travelling and videography, some of her hobbies include gardening with her parents, playing Minecraft with her siblings and taking care of her pet cat, Luna.
As she is celebrating her record-breaking achievement, the ambitious videographer is looking into other possible record titles for her to attempt:
“I would like to try to be the youngest drone cartographer at some point. That requires different skills than videography but there is a lot of overlap.
“And I’d also really like to attempt a record regarding Minecraft, but I haven’t looked into those records yet.”
Her advice to other young people dreaming of breaking a world record is: “Keep trying even if it seems difficult at first. You never know what can happen if you keep doing things you love!”
