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NEWS STREAM
Egypt Restricts Number of Rescue Flights; More Funerals Being Held for Victims; The Forensics behind Tracing a Bomb; China and Taiwan to Hold Historic Summit on Saturday; Takata Shares Dip Again; Former U.S. President Holds Nothing Back in Book; Myanmar's Dramatic Political History; Solar Winds Stripped Mars' Atmosphere; The Rise of Drones. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired November 06, 2015 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM.
Queues and confusion at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. Thousands of tourists are trying to leave Egypt as a new report is out that a bomb in the hold
brought down Flight 2968.
Plus: Myanmar prepares to vote. We look at what is at stake in this closely watched election.
And welcome to the dizzying world of drone racing. A new sport is emerging and it is not for the faint of heart.
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STOUT: We begin with a major development in the investigation into what caused a Russian jetliner to apparently explode mid-air over Egypt. The
BBC reports new British intelligence suggests a bomb was planted in the baggage hold of the Metrojet passenger plane.
It also says suspicion is falling on airport workers in Sharm el-Sheikh. The airport the doomed flight took off from and that the intelligence
breakthrough came from intercepted communication between militants in the Sinai Peninsula.
The bomb theory has caused a diplomatic row between the U.K. and Egypt. Cairo says it has not seen the intelligence on which it is based and
disputes assertions that a bomb caused the crash.
Meanwhile, British tourists stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh have begun flying home under tight security. The number of flights has been restricted by
Egypt so the backlog could take days to clear.
Now let's head straight to Sharm el-Sheikh airport for the very latest. Our senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, is there. She joins
us live.
Nima, there was a lot of confusion there earlier today about flights.
What are you hearing about flights and about the efforts to fly thousands of British tourists back home?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, those uncomfortable politicized moments you're describing there, Kristie that really is filtering to the
ground here. It's engendering a lot of speculation and a lot of fear and a lot of concerns amongst British tourists, that they are being caused as
pawns here in a bit of tit-for-tat.
There have been expectation that not only the flights that were scheduled to leave that in fact more flights would be put on to get those tourists
that hadn't been able to travel in the preceding days, that hasn't happened.
We have finally though had flights depart Sharm el-Sheikh. The British ambassador made his way down to the departure hall here and was faced with
some pretty irate British holiday makers, who asked him whether they would ever be leaving Sharm el-Sheikh because it was already, one woman said,
feeling like an eternity had elapsed.
He wanted to make it clear, he said that they were getting "very practical," as he called it, and very useful cooperation from the
Egyptians, that the Egyptians had not suspended flights, that flights would be returning to the U.K.
Now the British were happy with the security setup here behind me in Sharm el-Sheikh but it's just so frustratingly slow, Kristie. Queues of holiday
makers from around the world, Russians, Danes, other Europeans, the Brits themselves, many of them have gone back to their hotels waiting to hear
more about other flights they're to be put on and, of course, the background to all of this is just this real sense of fear.
It isn't just frustration that they are waiting and don't really know how this is going to play out in terms of their flights back to the U.K. but
it's also a concern about the situation here on the ground and a sense that people aren't quite being honest with them -- Kristie.
STOUT: So a sense of not just frustration but fear among the thousands of British tourists who were stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Separately, I want to get your thoughts on that new British intelligence report. A lot of suspicion falling on workers at that airport there.
Nima, what is the general state of security of the airport in Sharm el- Sheikh and what are Egyptian authorities doing to boost security there now?
ELBAGIR: Well, the Egyptian authorities are hitting back very hard, Kristie. They're saying that for the last 10 months there's been
cooperation around this airport, that they've allowed to Brits access to it.
And as far as they knew, they felt the Brits with happy with the measures in place here. They're accusing Britain of acting unilaterally without
sharing intelligence with them.
But at the same time, for many of those in the diplomatic community we're speaking to, they genuinely believe for Britain to come out with something
like this, even though they are still couching it in very specific terms, that they have reason to believe and there is a specific possibility. So
they are also being very careful on the British side.
But for them to talk about this in any way, shape or form and --
[08:05:00]
ELBAGIR: -- especially during a state visit by the Egyptian president that they really would have to be feeling quite comfortable to go out that far.
Now, whether it is or isn't ISIS who, of course, claimed responsibility very early on, these are all issues currently still being debated. But
Britain, the sense is, would have to have something it felt merited coming out and coming out this strongly about -- Kristie.
STOUT: Egypt is very cautious about the data coming out of the U.K. but the world is still waiting to get data from Egypt.
What is the latest on the investigation there?
What are Egyptian authorities saying about the black boxes and when we'll get some answers?
ELBAGIR: We haven't been given access to the site nor have many journalists. It's absolutely a closed down zone in terms of information.
We're not doing much better than we are on access. There doesn't as yet seem to be a timeframe for this.
It's extraordinarily difficult, even in the best of situations, to get much out of those kind of crash scenes very early on. It's something that takes
a while, it's a forensic investigation in so many different ways.
But there's a real hunger for answers and it's as much in Egypt's interest, given how much of a tourist hub Sharm el-Sheikh is, to start allaying any
of these fears if they can, Kristie, as soon as possible.
STOUT: Nima Elbagir, reporting for us live from Sharm el-Sheikh. Many thanks for that update.
Meanwhile, in Russia, families are burying loved ones who were killed in the crash. All 224people on board were killed, at least 25 of them were
children. Nic Robertson filed this report from St. Petersburg.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We're at a cemetery on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. There will be a funeral here in the
next few hours for one of the victims of the crash, the first of the families to receive the bodies of their loved ones have been able to have
funerals. We'll see more of that in the coming days.
More than 50 bodies have been identified so far but we've been speaking to families here who are still waiting to get their loved ones. One family
told us they were told in what they thought was a very brutal and very harsh way on Thursday by the regional governor that they may not get a body
back for burial, that, indeed, the best they may get is pieces of their family, their loved one identified through DNA means.
And the family we talked to were deeply distraught about that. They found that very difficult and very harsh to deal with. They also told us they're
frustrated by the government, that they feel the government isn't telling them the truth about how the plane came down.
They're concerned it might be a terrorist act and they fear the government knows more than they are telling them and doesn't want to say the facts
because they believe it could be a hard truth that this is a terrorist act.
So there are frustrations by family members now, we're finding, as they wait to receive their loved ones for burial. Russia, perhaps the best
indication so far, of how it feels about whether or not the flight was brought down by terrorism or mechanical failure from description, Russia is
still continuing its flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.
The government continuing to say here that the investigation is ongoing, that Egypt leads the investigation, the investigation could take some time,
they say possibly months before it's concluded and any analysis prior to that is speculation and that the need is to wait until the investigation is
complete.
For the families waiting for their funerals it's going to be a very tough and long and hard wait. Closure is not going to come for some of these
families with the burial of their loved one. It's going to come perhaps when they find a little more of what caused this to happen -- Nic
Robertson, CNN, St. Petersburg, Russia.
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STOUT: We have this development just coming into us here at CNN that refers to the confusion on the flights leaving Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday.
A spokesperson for Downing Street tells CNN this, quote, "It's clearly very important that all airline companies are working with us to ensure that
they're giving their customers the best possible information."
It goes on to say there have been a number of discussions with the Egyptians to ensure a number of flights depart. All of this comes amid the
investigation you heard about and how investigators will determine if the plane was deliberately targeted. CNN's Kyung Lah visited a forensic lab to
see how scientists test for explosive residue.
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KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The power of a bomb aboard a passenger plane, this demonstration by the U.S. attorney's office shows the end
result.
THOMAS ANTHONY, FORENSIC BOMB EXPERT: Coming through the opposite side.
LAH (voice-over): The beginnings tracked by forensic bomb expert, Thomas Anthony.
LAH: Is this a classic C-4 explosion?
ANTHONY: It is. Less push and more force like that. We have less --
[08:10:00]
ANTHONY: -- residue than a low explosive.
LAH (voice-over): Starting with a C-4 bomb, a type of plastic explosive, the former FAA civil aviation security manager walks us through the impact
of several types of bombs and the telltale signs they leave behind.
ANTHONY: The residue of the black powder coming from a central point, look at the edges here. The edges in the black powder are very, very different.
They have this sort of, like, almost coral-like look to them.
This is napalm. Look at the residue of the napalm that was left behind. That's something that is indicative and characteristic of napalm.
LAH: Are there countless numbers of explosives?
ANTHONY: There are dozens of types of explosives.
LAH (voice-over): Investigators begin to narrow the possibilities with field tests like this one that quickly analyze residue. This orange color
points to a CH4 bomb. Anthony says the severity of a bomb on a plane depends on many factors like timing and placement and there isn't always
visible proof.
LAH: Is it possible an explosive can go off on a plane and there be no residue?
ANTHONY: It's possible there could be no residue left.
LAH (voice-over): Here's why. Look at the wreckage from the Metrojet crash, much of it consumed by fire.
ANTHONY: If you have melting aircraft parts, melting aluminum, it's mixing with the other parts that it could easily disguise any evidence of an IED.
LAH (voice-over): Anthony says it's critical to have forensic proof in an aviation investigation and only a lab could sift out evidence from this.
But just as important, piecing together clues beyond the wreckage, knowing when and who may have placed an explosive device aboard the plane.
ANTHONY: There are so many electronics that we can buy off the shelf that can be programmed to activate hours, days, weeks, months in the future.
LAH (voice-over): -- Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: We have some news just into CNN. France's interior minister has announced the country will tighten border security for several weeks. He
says people will be able to enter but only after being subjected to strict border control. This moves comes as world leaders are expected to meet in
Paris next month for that conference on climate change.
Once again, news just in, France's interior ministry announced the country will close its borders for several weeks and establish strict border
controls.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come on the program. We will preview a summit happening this weekend. The leaders from China and Taiwan
are set to meet in neutral territory in Singapore and we'll look at what is at stake.
Plus, trouble grows for Takata as more carmakers are distancing themselves from the Japanese auto parts maker. And as Myanmar heads towards Sunday's
landmark election, we'll look at what it means for the country's development.
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STOUT: Welcome back. you're watching NEWS STREAM and you're looking at a visual version of all the stories you've got in this show today.
We've already told you about that new report from the BBC, that British investigators believe a bomb in the hold brought down Flight 9268.
And later, a look back at Myanmar's dramatic history as the nation prepares for a very important vote.
But now let's turn to Singapore. The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has arrived there ahead of a historic summit with Taiwan president Ma Ying-
jeou. The meeting set for Saturday will be the first for the leaders of Taiwan and China in decades and whatever comes out of those talks will be
closely watched.
Taiwan says there won't be any discussion on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Instead, the leaders will focus on ways to cement peace.
Despite strong cultural ties, relations between China and Taiwan have been tense, though they have improved over recent years.
CNN's Matt Rivers and Steven Jiang explain where the disagreement lies and what it could mean for both sides.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This island of 23 million people is a vibrant democracy and a U.S. ally that sits just across the sea from the
world's largest one-party state.
I'm Matt Rivers in Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Steven Jiang in Beijing. The council of what's officially known as the People's Republic of China. It's
been called that since 1949, when the Communists here won a civil war that forced the previous government to flee to the island of Taiwan.
RIVERS: Both sides set up their own government, each claiming to be the only legitimate rulers of the entire Chinese territory. Decades of
hostility ensued. There was no travel, no trade or communications between the two. And the threat of military action was a constant presence.
But those tensions began to ease in the 1990s, that's when Beijing and Taipei came to an agreement on the so-called one China policy.
JIANG: Both sides acknowledged, despite the existence of two governments, there was only one nation of China and that paved the way for economic and
cultural cooperation.
Businesses from Taiwan have invested billions of dollars here on the mainland, home to 1.3 billion people and the world's second largest
economy. And millions of mainland tourists have flocked to Taiwan after direct flights resumed.
RIVERS: Taiwan's next presidential election is in January of 2016 and that could pose a problem for China, because the candidate leading the polls at
the moment is from an opposition party that favors Taiwan to become an independent state.
JIANG: That's something Beijing simply will not tolerate. China insists Taiwan is a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland -- by
force if necessary. Both governments say that's all the more reason to strengthen communication and build mutual trust.
RIVERS: But whether that trust can be built in Taiwan remains to be seen. Many people here are wary of the growing influence of their massive
neighbor just across the straits, fearful that their unique way of life cultivated over the last six decades may be under threat.
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STOUT: Be sure to check out our website for more on this weekend's summit. J. Michael Cole is an expert on China-Taiwan relations, has given us his
take on the meeting. You can find that and more, only here on cnn.com/china.
Shares of Takata Corporation plunged again on Friday as more auto makers confirmed that they are dropping the Japanese parts company and its
airbags. Toyota says it will stop using Takata inflators that contain ammonium nitrate but is open to using others with a different chemical.
Mazda, Mitsubishi and Honda are all switching away from Takata. Takata is struggling in the fallout over defensive airbags linked to eight deaths.
U.S. regulators hit the company with a $70 million fine earlier this week.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Coming up, there's a new biography of the former U.S. president George H.W. Bush and it contains harsh criticism of
some top officials from his son's presidency. We've got an interview with the author after the break.
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STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NEWS STREAM. And we have an update now, efforts to get thousands of British
passengers out of Sharm el-Sheikh following that deadly crash of a Russian passenger jet bound for St. Petersburg.
The head of Egypt's civil aviation says that the Sharm el-Sheikh airport will operate eight flights to the U.K. today. That's instead of the 29
flights planned earlier. We told you earlier how British Airlines are not putting any baggage in their holds amid fears that a bomb brought down the
Metrojet flight.
The minister says that means some 120 tons of luggage is being left behind and that the airport is struggling to accommodate that. He adds that a
cargo flight is planned to carry baggage of the departing passengers in the same day of departure and do stay with CNN for any developments on the
story.
In the race for the U.S. White House, the competition is heating up between the two top Republican candidates. A new CNN/ORC poll shows Donald Trump
and Ben Carson running neck in neck in Iowa with Trump at 25 percent and Carson at 23 percent.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is dominating in Iowa. A new CNN/ORC poll out this morning has her leading Bernie Sanders by 18
points among likely Democratic caucus goers.
Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush holds nothing back in his new biography, not even when it comes to his own son. Bush is surprisingly
candid about the presidency of George W. Bush as well as his son's top aides. CNN's Jamie Gangel spoke with the author of the book.
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GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I accept your nomination for president.
JAMIE GANGEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is George Herbert Walker Bush unleashed, sharing his most private thoughts on everything from
his time in office to his family.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This administration is not going to rest.
GANGEL (voice-over): -- to his son's presidency.
JON MEACHAM, AUTHOR: He handed over four years of diaries in the White House, with no strings attached.
GANGEL: And he said to you.?
MEACHAM: Call them like you see them. Let the -- you're going to sort it out.
GANGEL (voice-over): Among the many revelations, Bush 41 is bluntly critical of the men who served his son in the White House. He calls Vice
President Dick Cheney "iron-ass" and former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld "an arrogant fellow."
But perhaps the biggest surprise, Bush is critical of his own son for his hot rhetoric.
GANGEL: We've never heard him criticize his son before as president.
Why do you think he went public now?
MEACHAM: I think that, with the distance of history, he believes so strongly in the fact that force and diplomacy have to be complementary --
[08:25:00]
MEACHAM: -- not competitive. And I think he wanted to put on the record that he doesn't think presidents accomplish very much by swaggering. They
should be strong but they don't need to be needlessly provocative.
GANGEL: So is this a father worried about his son's policy being criticized, not being right?
Is there a father-son thing here?
MEACHAM: There's always a father-son thing here, of course.
How could there not be?
GANGEL: Was George W. Bush at all defensive about the criticism from his father?
MEACHAM: He was surprised by it, I think it's safe to say. He said, "Dad never said any of this to me either during the presidency or after."
He said he would never have said, hey, you've got to rein in Cheney, he's ruining your administration. And anyway, I disagree with him; these were
my policies. He knew that his father's style was such that he would never say things directly to him, which is, in and of itself, fascinating.
GANGEL (voice-over): In addition to the president's diaries, Meacham was given access to Barbara Bush's diaries. And other insights include that
Nancy Reagan did not seem to like Barbara Bush.
He told his diary, quote, "Frankly, I think she is jealous of her."
There is a blunt assessment of Bill Clinton as a draft dodger and a liar. And Meacham writes the Bushes were, quote, "horrified" by the Monica
Lewinsky scandal.
But later Bush acknowledges that he couldn't help but like the guy.
GANGEL: You think it's a genuine friendship?
MEACHAM: For George H.W. Bush, I think it is.
GANGEL: And for Bill Clinton?
MEACHAM: You never know, do you?
GANGEL (voice-over): That said, the Bushes don't seem to have the same warm feelings toward Hillary Clinton, calling her, quote, "militant and
pro-liberal."
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STOUT: Wow. Very revealing book. That was author Jon Meacham speaking to CNN about his new, very candid biography of former U.S. President, George
H.W. Bush.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Coming up, a big election is just on the horizon in Myanmar. We'll take a look at the nation's dramatic political
history.
Also ahead, imagine zipping through trees and obstacles at dizzying speeds. We'll give you a taste of an incredible experience, the thrill of drone
racing.
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STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM and these are your world headlines.
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STOUT (voice-over): British tourists stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh in the aftermath of the Metrojet crash have begun flying home. But Egypt says the
airport will have just eight flights to the U.K. instead of the scheduled 29.
That's because the volume of luggage left by British passengers is affecting the airport's operation. Pre-flight security has been tightened
and passengers are only allowed to bring carry-on luggage.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports new British intelligence suggests a bomb was planted in the baggage hold of the plane. Suspicion has fallen on airport
workers in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The intelligence breakthrough came from intercepted communications between militants in the Sinai Peninsula.
The all-important U.S. multijobs report has just come out. It shows the U.S. economy added some 271,000 jobs in October. That is a huge jump from
September and way more than originally forecast. So the unemployment rate fell to 5 percent.
Stay tuned for more on "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY." That happens about in just a half an hour from now.
Myanmar's political parties are wrapping up their last day of campaigning before Sunday's historic elections. The election is a huge step in the
country's journey of opening up after decades of military rule and economic opportunities are opening for foreign businesses.
Fast food chains like Pizza Hut, KFC have already opened restaurants in Myanmar this year. However, democratization is slow and the country is
still facing sanctions from countries like the U.S. for repression of democratic opposition.
Myanmar's history is filled with political battles and violent crackdowns and our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, looks at
the dramatic story of the nation's gradual shift towards reform and the woman at the heart of it all.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I've been fascinated by Myanmar, Burma, for ages. It's got all the makings
of a classic political and human drama.
You've got the frail looking, beautiful but steely heroine, Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent the better part of 20 years under house arrest because she
wanted to bring democracy to her people.
You have got the military, who have been arrayed against her, for all that time. They've been in power since the '60s. And they were brutal in
suppressing any kind of move towards freedom by their own people. But that all changed as of 2010, when they let her out of house arrest and the
political process started in earnest.
THEIN SEIN, PRESIDENT OF MYANMAR (through translator): We have different views on some issues but we were able to agree that we will leave those
issues for later and solve our differences through negotiations.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): There was a huge amount of interest and engagement by the West into Myanmar. And President Obama has visited twice. That's
extraordinary. It's a tiny country. And President Obama, the President of the United States, has visited twice. What America believes and the West
believes is that they have managed to sort of wrest Myanmar away from Chinese influence.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Something is happening in this country.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): In 1989, the junta put Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. But the very next year, her party won the first democratic
election by a landslide.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI, MYANMAR OPPOSITION LEADER: I've never thought that what they did to me was personal anyway. It is politics. And if you decide to
go into politics, you have to be prepared to put up with these kinds of problems.
We must not forget my father was the founder of the Burmese army. And this is why I have a soft spot for them, even though I don't like what they do.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): I visited recently as a tourist, not as a reporter. And I took all sorts of pictures of campaign posters. Obviously there were
a lot of Aung San Suu Kyi and they all had the picture of her and her father, because he still is a national hero in Burma.
In many parts of the country, there are still ongoing wars, conflict going on. Now there's another issue that has caused her outside supporters to be
quite critical and that is the issue of the Rohingyas.
They're a Muslim --
[08:35:00]
AMANPOUR (voice-over): -- minority and they're deeply unpopular by the extremist Buddhist nationalists in Burma to the extent that they're not
even citizens, they don't have the right to vote. And she's been criticized quite a lot for failing to stand up for their human rights.
The tragedy of Burma is that it has been so isolated for so long. And I do think a lot about the human toll and the human cost of people's brave
sacrifice for freedom, for human rights, for democracy.
And I did ask Aung San Suu Kyi about the toll it had taken on her and her family and her two children, who were very young when she was first put
under house arrest and who spent so many years without their mother.
SUU KYI: I think what I would simply wish to do is to learn to have a good relationship with them across the distance that separates us.
AMANPOUR: And I still get a little surprised when she doesn't want to dwell on that. But I sort of understand, because she knows that had she
showed any human, any humanity, any human weakness, that the generals at the time would have used that against her and ended her political career,
which was so much more than a personal political career. It was about a country's ability and a need for leadership out of dictatorship and towards
democracy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Multifaceted insight there into Aung San Suu Kyi.
Now, beachgoers in Sydney were treated to a pretty spectacular sight on Friday and we have to share it with you. This massive storm cloud moved
over the ocean to Bondi Beach.
Look at that, extraordinary.
Witnesses say it looked like a huge wave prepared to engulf the area. The cloud swept through, dumping heavy rain on the city.
NASA scientists believe they have discovered how Mars changed from a flourishing climate to a cold, dry and barren world. Measurements from the
Maven spacecraft show that solar winds stripped away most of the Martian atmosphere. Those gases kept the planet warm and without them, water
disappeared.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield explained why the findings matter to us here on Earth.
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CHRIS HADFIELD, ASTRONAUT: This teaches us a lot about Earth itself as to what is our history and, more importantly, what is our future on Earth?
What are the natural long-term processes that affect planets?
If we really want to understand the health of Earth, it's like looking at people; you can't just look at one human body and understand how human
health goes. The more planets we can understand, the better.
And it's pretty interesting to be able to look back into the past of Mars now and, using this new NASA satellite, really understand how Mars has lost
its atmosphere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Earth is protected by its global magnetic field; it pulls solar wind to the poles. That's why you see the Northern Lights where you do.
But on Mars, scientists found auroras like this everywhere.
Closer to Earth, two NASA astronauts are setting foot outside the International Space Station. This is their second time performing a
spacewalk in two weeks and they're set to spend about six and a half hours outside trying to fix a cooling system. Now the repairs have already been
going on for three years.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come on the program, it's so fast it could make you dizzy. And stay with us to find out more about the thrill
of competitive drone racing.
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STOUT: Welcome back.
All this week on NEWS STREAM we have been looking at drones, the big players, the dangers and where the future lies. But today we'll look at a
brand new sport -- drone racing.
Tim Nilson, one of the co-founders of RotorSports and a drone pilot --
[08:40:00]
STOUT: -- explained it all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drone racing, how does it work?
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TIM NILSON, DRONE PILOT (voice-over): It really feels like nothing you can describe. It feels like you're flying. The trick really is in the camera
and the transmission. The transmission of the video signal to the pilot while he's flying, he's watching that through these goggles.
It's so immersive that your brain really thinks you're in the airframe. Many pilots cannot fly standing up. They have to sit down because you
literally would sway your bodies to follow the motions of your airframe.
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NILSON: Drone racing, then, is basically you getting together with a bunch of friends and race these airframes together, chasing each other through
very tricky courses and determining who's the best pilot and gets there first.
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NILSON: Drone racing has been just a hobby. I think now the challenges start where we are really thinking there's a sport in drone racing.
At the drone nationals, we have thousands of people view the race online and it showed us that there's huge demand for pilots that are still
dispersed around the world to join in and watch an event.
I think that in five years I think we will have a very vibrant and well- established drone-racing sport and all the infrastructure to support it as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STOUT: Incredible video.
Now if you've missed any special coverage, go to our show page for more on the rise of drones, it's at cnn.com/newsstream.
By the way, this show is indeed celebrating five years. In fact, the first NEWS STREAM went on the air November the 8th of 2010. We had a bit of a
party earlier today to celebrate.
Now, if you don't know the story of how NEWS STREAM came to be, I'll share details on my Twitter page a little bit later on. But thank you very much
for joining us here on NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. I'll see you next time.
END
