We recently wrapped up the virtual preliminary competition for UAS4STEM sponsored by Skydio! And we were (and still are!) very impressed by the effort and knowledge demonstrated by the twelve teams.
All twelve teams will be participating in the National UAS4STEM Sponsored by Skydio competition in Oshkosh, WI at the end of July 2023. There will be two competition divisions at the national competition this year: beginner and advanced.
The Beginner Class was originally introduced to the competition to reduce barriers of entry into the UAS4STEM Sponsored by Skydio. The Beginner Class allows teams to focus on the fundamental skills of drone programming and flying rather than engineering their drones to pick up resources and move them. The goal for the Beginner Class is to generate excitement around the competition and create a comfortable learning environment for new teams.
The Advanced Class builds on skills from the competition the year before. The UAS4STEM Sponsored by Skydio competition gets more complicated each year, as returning teams need new challenges to test their skills and knowledge. In the 2023 competition, Advanced Teams are tasked with designing their own pickup mechanism(s) to pick up different items and deliver them to specific locations, depending on what these drop-off points are. The purpose of the Advanced Class is to transform UAS4STEM sponsored by Skydio from a flying and programming competition to an engineering competition.
Teams competing in the Beginner Division*
- The Corntographers
- The Flying Nuggets
- Greenville Composite Squadron (SER-TN-015)
- Hardin Valley Academy AeroHAWKS
- Redstone Composite Squadron (Beginner Team)
- St. Mary's CAP
Teams competing in the Advanced Division*
- Arbitrary Innovations
- Bumblebees
- G3 Drone Team
- McIntosh Aeronautics
- Redstone Composite Squadron (SER-AL-119)
- Some Assembly Required (SAR)
*Team names are listed in alphabetical order.
The UAS4STEM Sponsored by Skydio National Championship is held at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. EAA consistently rolls out the red carpet for this competition, and the AMA cannot thank them enough!
The AMA is honored that EAA maintains such a high level of faith and professionalism with the participants in UAS4STEM sponsored by Skydio. Students are given clearance to fly and operate their drones in a highly saturated airspace. While there are parameters like altitude caps and geofences that are put in place, there is an immense amount of trust from EAA to these young fliers since EAA becomes the busiest airport during AirVenture. It is the highest compliment to the Academy and participants that teams are given the clearance to compete during this busy week. The trust that EAA has in these young students fosters a safe, accessible, and engaging environment in which they can strengthen their skills and grow as pilots.
We also want to thank the FAA Guest Judges who helped us judge teams during the Virtual Preliminary Competition:
- Ronald Gendron
- Assistant Manager, ASW 142 Certificate Management Office, SW-33
- Brandon "Patches" Patchey
- Curriculum Manager/Instructional Systems Specialist (AIR-942 Development)
- Aaron Stone
- Air Traffic Control Supervisor
- Christopher Yanni
- Aviation Safety/Frontline Manager/Office of Safety Standards/Regulatory Support Division/Aviation Data Systems Branch, AFS-620
We are beyond excited that so many young aviation enthusiasts will join us at EAA this July. While we here at AMA HQ ramp up our preparations for the competition, teams will work hard to make sure they are ready to compete and improve their aviation skills, and we are confident that they will be more than ready to show us what they learn.
If you plan to be at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh during the UAS4STEM sponsored by Skydio competition, the Academy of Model Aeronautics encourages you to swing by to watch and support these young competitors! If you are able, we highly encourage you to make the journey to personally see these passionate aviators demonstrating their skill and professionalism.