Nothing brings together the aviation community as easily as supporting the youth of our nation, because we all understand the importance of providing inspiration to the future aviators who will occupy our sky. In the spirit of collaboration and mentorship, Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) announces that the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Aviation & Space Education (AVSED) team will provide judging support for our annual educational youth drone competition: UAS4STEM sponsored by Skydio.
UAS4STEM is an acronym for “Uncrewed Aircraft Systems for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.” Participating student teams complete a ground school, build a UAS/drone, learn to program it for autonomous flight, present a briefing on their efforts, and work together to achieve a specific mission objective. The emphasis of the competition is on developing solid foundational knowledge, technical skills, professional teamwork, communication, and problem-solving capabilities. The AVSED team will be providing more than 20 hours of volunteer support and mentorship as they evaluate student “Flight Readiness Review” presentations during the virtual preliminary competition in the spring of 2023. This ensures that the students have access to well-qualified professionals who will provide direct feedback as they compete for a place in the international UAS4STEM championships held during AirVenture in Oshkosh Wisconsin, the world’s largest aviation event.
FAA’s STEM AVSED Outreach Program was created in 1961 to prepare and inspire the next generation of skilled professionals for the aviation and aerospace communities. The program continues to reach communities throughout the US and beyond to provide expertise and resources for civil and commercial aviation.
“The AMA has a longstanding partnership with the AVSED team in their joint efforts to educate and inspire the next generation of aviators. The involvement of the FAA AVSED team in UAS4STEM was a natural fit for both parties,” stated AMA Education Director Kyle Jaracz. He continued, “Through efforts like these, we continue to provide opportunities to demystify aviation and showcase real-world opportunities to bring uncrewed aviation to these students as options for future careers.”
More About UAS4STEM Sponsored by Skydio
The competition is designed for teams of up to 10 students (led by an adult team manager) to learn, practice, and demonstrate professional uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) knowledge, mission planning, flight skills, data collection, analysis, and safety practices in a competitive environment. As part of this process, students complete an online ground school that covers basics of flight, safety, the national airspace, and more. This course prepares students to earn their Part 107 certification, which is required by the FAA to operate drones professionally in the national airspace. To learn more about UAS4STEM and how to participate, visit this link. To learn more about the safe integration of UAS into National Airspace System, visit this link. To learn more about the AMA and it’s efforts as a Community-Based Organization for model aircraft, visit this link.