General News
28 February, 2025
Charlotte flies high with cadets
Local Maryborough Education Centre student Charlotte MacDonell is a busy high achiever, taking her aviation skills to new heights.
The 15-year-old army cadet corporal was recently awarded Student of Merit after completing a drones and robotics course in December 2024.
As a result, the year 10 student just spent her school holidays attending the National Drone Racing course in Adelaide.
Accepted out of less that 50 cadets throughout Australia to compete, she finished as the fastest female trainee.
“We had a proper race track with five inch drones. When it was my turn I just focused on not hitting the obstacles, the less times you hit and the less obstacles you crash into, the better time you’ll get,” she said.
For Charlotte, competing at an interstate race has always come naturally.
“Attending the National Drone Racing felt almost natural. I did have a few previous achievements going national, I used to be a racewalker and went to Sydney,” she said.
Charlotte will soon be representing her cadet unit at the Australian International Air Show in Avalon.
“I’ve always found that I click quite well with it, and I’ve always liked taking whatever opportunity I can, usually as a way to improve my knowledge and skills,” she said.
Not only is Charlotte a champion drone racer, she has learnt to build them from scratch, something she loves to take on in her spare time.
“In the course, they told us how to build them, so it’s a little harder at home without instructions,” she said.
Charlotte also has recently been endorsed to be a corporal leader of her unit.
“I’m the section commander. I’ve got the entire lot of young recruits that have come in this year, and I get to teach them,” she said.
While she is preparing for her upcoming air show, she has taken up other after school activities such as playing the viola and going to the gym, but has still found no issues juggling high school with her other commitments.
“I find it’s alright because they don’t tend to overlap a lot unless it’s outside of school excursions. I know I’m going to miss the year 10 camp because I’m at Avalon,” she said.
However, Charlotte is already looking forward to other camps with her cadet unit later this year.
“It’s a way to experience things you wouldn’t normally be able to,” she said.
Charlotte will be attending the Australian International Air Show at Avalon Airport as part of the Australian army cadet drone racing team from March 24 to 30.