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What is the Aerial Drone Competition?
Supported by the REC Foundation, the Aerial Drone Competition offers an exciting educational drone sporting event that focuses on hands-on, student-centered learning.
Teams learn about drones, flight principles, programming, documentation, and communication skills while expanding their understanding of and building interest in drone-related workforce and career opportunities.
Teams
What age is the Aerial Drone Competition For?
The Aerial Drone Competition is recommended for students grades 5-12.
How many students are on a team?
We recommend 3-5 students per team. Each team needs one drone.
A school or organization can register multiple teams to accommodate student interest. Each school/organization registers a base number, such as 1234, and each team within that base number has a letter, such as 1234A, 1234B, etc. A base number can support up to 22 teams from a single organization.
How much time do teams need to practice?
This can vary from program to program based on resources and age of the students. A typical team will practice 2-4 hours per week after school.
How do I register a team and how much does it cost?
Visit RobotEvents.com to register.
The first team to register for a base number is $200.00 (US). Additional teams may be added to the original base number for an additional cost of $150.00 (US) each. After 6 additional teams have been added to the same base number, registrations for teams 7-22 are free for that base number.
- One team registration is $200
- Two (2) teams registration is $350
- Five (5) teams registration is $800
- Six (6) to Twenty-Two (22) Teams registration is $950
Are there teams/events in my area?
Aerial Drone Competition is a growing program at the REC Foundation, and we are expanding nationwide. We encourage you to check RobotEvents.com for the latest events. As this season gets underway, new teams and events will continue to be added. Please reach out to the program manager at drones@recf.org to discuss development in your area.
Equipment
What equipment do I need to compete in the Aerial Drone Competition?
A drone, controller, a computer for programming, and spare parts (batteries, motors, propellers).
What drones are legal for competition?
For the 2023-2024 Season, there are 3 legal drones: CoDrone EDU, CoDrone EDU (JROTC Edition), and Parrot Mambo.
Where do I order drones?
- The CoDrone EDU can be ordered from Robolink.
- The CoDrone EDU (JROTC Edition; US designed and American Security Drone Act-compliant) is coming soon.
- The Parrot Mambo has been discontinued and is hard to find/order at this time.
How do I troubleshoot when my CoDrone EDU or controller isn’t working properly?
Solutions to the most common problems can be found at Robolink Website Help Page.
What equipment do I need to set up a field?
For the 2023-2024 Season, there will be two field layouts at events. One will be used for the Piloting Teamwork Mission and the other for the Piloting and Autonomous Flight Missions.
Piloting Teamwork Mission Field
You will need the following
- Competition Elements
- One Red Arch Gate
- One Blue Arch Gate
- One Blackout Screen
- One Green Keyhole Gate
- One Yellow Keyhole Gate
- One Blue Landing Pad
- One Red Landing Pad
- One 18” Blue Landing Box
- One 18’ Red Landing Box
- Game Elements - Designed specifically for the 2023-2024 Game!
- Pre Order now for September Delivery
- One set of game elements has enough parts for 1 Piloting Teamwork Mission Field and 1 Piloting and Autonomous Flight Missions Field
- PVC - customers need to purchase PVC on their own at the local hardware store
- Parts list will be available Sept 2023
Piloting and Autonomous Flight Missions Field
You will need the following
- Competition Field Elements
- 2 Red Arch Gates
- 1 Blue Arch Gate
- One Green Keyhole Gate
- One Yellow Keyhole Gate
- One Blue Landing Pad
- One Red Landing Pad
- One 12” Blue Landing Box
- One 12’ Red Landing Box
- Game Elements - Designed specifically for the 2023-2024 Game!
- Pre Order now for September Delivery
- One set of game elements has enough parts for 1 Piloting Teamwork Mission Field and 1 Piloting and Autonomous Flight Missions Field
Where do I purchase competition and game elements?
You can purchase competition and game elements from Drone Competition Gates.
Does the field and game change each year?
The competition elements (Arch Gates, Keyhole Gates, and Landing Pads) will be used from year to year. Each year we will reveal a new game that will include different game elements; therefore, new game elements will need to be purchased each year by the team/organization.
Competitions
Where can I read the rules for this year’s competition?
The Competition Manual and rules for the 2023-2024 Season will be available in September 2023 on the REC Foundation Website.
What is a competition like?
Students participate in 4 missions at an Aerial Drone Competition.
- Piloting Teamwork Mission: An exciting challenge presented in the form of a game that changes each year. For the 2023 -2024 Season, two teams form an alliance and work together. Teams fly around the field to score as many points as possible during a 90 second match.
- Autonomous Flight Mission: One team competes against the clock to score as many points as possible in a 1-minute match. Students will program their drones to score points entirely autonomously.
- Piloting Skills Mission: One team competes against the clock to score as many points as possible in a 1-minute match. Students will pilot their drones to score points.
- Communication Mission: Students will showcase their workforce development skills through teamwork, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills that will assist in preparing them to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. Teams will be interviewed by judges and submit their Competition Logbook for evaluation.
Competitions typically take place on Saturdays and run from approximately 8am - 4pm.
What is the cost to attend competitions?
Once your team is registered with the REC Foundation, the fee to attend a local competition varies by state and region. Registration fees for a competition typically range from $50 - $100 per team. Championship events may be more. Please visit RobotEvents.com to determine the cost of each event in your region.
Where can I find a competition?
In the 2022-2023 season we had 80 events across 27 states, and we are growing. We are working with our event partners this summer to post events for the 2023-2024 Season, which runs from October through March. Visit RobotEvents.com to search for Aerial Drone Competitions near you. Don’t see an event near you? Consider being an event host! We’ll train and support you all along the way.
Championships
When/where are the Aerial Drone Competition Championship events?
We are currently accepting applications from our community to host a 2023-2024 Championship Event. If you are interested in hosting, please reach out to drones@recf.org.
How do we earn a spot at a Championship Event?
Our team is working hard with teams and event partners nationwide to create the season. At this time, the plan is that most events will qualify teams to Aerial Drone Competition Regional Championship events. Click on the Awards tab for the event at RobotEvents.com for details on which spots qualify for Championship events.
More details to come.
More information
Where can I find more information?
Check out the Aerial Drone Competition Library for additional documentation for teams, event partners, judges, and volunteers.
How can I learn more?
Contact the Aerial Drone Program Team at Drones@recf.org.