Last updated May 29, 2025
Aerial Drone Competition Expenses: What to Buy, Where to Buy it, and How to Budget
When planning your team’s budget, consider the difference between what you need and what's nice to have. Below are some suggestions to help guide your decisions—we encourage you to work within your available resources. Need advice? Ask your Regional Support Manager, and feel free to use this Budgeting Spreadsheet Tool. Make a copy and enter your own numbers—we're here to help you and find solutions that fit within your budget.
What do teams NEED to compete in the Aerial Drone Competition?
- Drone/Controller/Spare Parts
- Season Registration
- Computer for Programming
- Event Registrations (Tournament fees)
- Travel to Events
Drone, Controller, and Spare Parts (e.g., batteries, motors, propellers)
Cost:
- (1) CoDroneEDU $249* or (1) CoDrone EDU JROTC Edition $314.99*
- Drone Case $35
- Spare parts $75
- *12 and 18 classroom packs are also available
Prices are current as of May 1, 2025. For the most up-to-date pricing, please refer to Robolink's website.
Where to Purchase: We recommend you purchase drones from Robolink.
Additional Information:
- Robolink provides “Base Camp” learning modules for “Getting Started with the CoDrone EDU, Blockly, and Python.”
- For the 2025-2026 season, there are 3 legal drones: CoDrone EDU, CoDrone EDU (JROTC Edition), and Parrot Mambo.
- Note: The JROTC edition drone was created to meet funding requirements for the JROTC program. It’s the same drone as the CoDrone EDU, but with specific components sourced from different manufacturers to meet those requirements.
2025-26 Season Registration
Cost: $200 per team
Registration opens May 27, 2025
Computer for Programming
Cost:
- Cost of computer - Varies
- Coding Software is FREE
- 1 computer per team is needed
Additional Information:
- CoDrone EDU Blockly programming runs in a Chrome browser. It is compatible with Chromebooks, Macbooks, Windows laptops, and desktop computers with USB ports.
- CoDrone EDU with Blockly an Phyton is not compatible with tablets or iPads.
- Chromebooks do not support Python. Use a MacOS or Windows machine for Python programming.
- Python Programming requires software installation:
- Python https://www.python.org/
- PyCharm IDE Community Edition https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/
- Although there are many web-python programming solutions out there, the CoDrone EDU is not currently compatible with any of those solutions.
Event Registrations (tournament fees)
Cost:
- Regular season event fees typically range from $50 - $100 USD per team per event
- Championship Event fees typically range from $150-$300 per team
Where to Purchase:
Visit RECFevents.org to view Aerial Drone Competitions and determine the cost of each event in your region. Note: Fees are set by the Event Partner, hosting the event.
Additional Information:
- The fee to attend a local competition varies by state and region.
- Championship registration fees are typically higher.
- There is no limit to the number of events in which a team may participate.
- Teams attending a regular season event may earn an invitation to the Championship event based on the Qualifying Criteria.
Travel to events
Cost: Varies
What else is NICE to have if additional funding is available?
- Competition Field Element Kit
- Game Element Kit
- PVC
- Additional Drones and spare parts, such as motors, cases, batteries, propellers, and bumpers
- T-shirts and team swag
Competition Field Element Kit
This kit includes:
- 1 Red Arch Gate
- 1 Blue Arch Gate
- 1 Yellow Keyhole Gate
- 1 Green Keyhole Gate
- 1 Red Landing Pad
- 1 Blue Landing Pad
- 12" Blue Landing Cube
- 18" Red Landing Cube
- 3 Programming Mats
- 3 Color Mats
Cost: $1,000
Where to purchase: Drone Competition Gates
Additional Information:
- Contains items that are reused each year
- Each kit has enough hardware to set up 1 Teamwork Mission Field or 1 Skills Mission Field
- If you want to set up both at the same time, you will need 2 Field Element Kits
- While it is helpful to have a field and game element to practice with, it is not necessary! Many of our new teams start off by using pool noodles, hula hoops and boxes. Approximate measurements of the field elements can be found in the Competition Manual.
Mission 2026 Game Element Kit
Preorder coming soon; expected ship date September 9, 2025
Cost: $360
Where to purchase: Drone Competition Gates
What's Included: One complete set of Mission 2026 Teamwork Mission Game Elements and one complete set of Mission 2026 Skills Missions Game Elements
Prices are current as of May 1, 2025. For the most up-to-date pricing, please refer to Drone Competition Gate's website.
PVC
Each season, the competition field perimeter will be constructed from PVC, which can be purchased from your local hardware store. This PVC can be reused each season, though it will be configured differently each time. The required amount is specified in the Competition Manual.
Additional Drones and spare parts, such as motors, cases, batteries, propellers, and bumpers
Cost: varies
Additional Information: Teams may bring multiple drones to an event in order to have backups, in case of a crash and/or to allow for students to reserve a drone for flight missions and another for the programming mission .
T-shirts and Team Swag
Cost: varies
Running a competition team has recurring costs and could get expensive. What are ways that other programs fund their programs?
- Host your own Tournament!
- Your organization brings in funds through the Tournament fees paid to you by teams, concessions, t-shirt sales, etc.
- Get local companies to sponsor your event by providing a cash donation, food for concessions or volunteer lunches, or volunteers.
- Grants
- REC Foundation Grant Resources
- Check with your local educational and professional organizations for grant opportunities
- Google Search for Grants (Key words: STEM, Workforce Development, Robotics, Drones, Aviation, K-12)
- Host a STEM Workshop or Camp!
- Whether it is 2 hours, ½ day, 1 day, 3 day, or 5 day, we can help you to develop an exciting itinerary and a realistic budget for your event.
- These Workshops or Camps can be for Youth or Adults and is a great way to promote awareness of the great things that your ADC team is accomplishing, possibly inspiring others to form teams, too.
- Host Aerial Drone Competition Birthday Parties!
- This idea came from Grandville, MI. They are hosting birthday parties, charging $25 per child for 10 children ($250 profit). The parents bring pizza, drinks, and cake.
- Other traditional fundraising efforts
- Form a STEM Booster Club to empower parents and other community supporters to raise money for the program.
- Candy/Fruit/Cookie Dough Sales
- Student and teacher in entire school pay $X to get to wear (jeans, pajama pants, caps, etc) for a day
- Check out this article for 76 more fundraising ideas.
How can I learn more?
Contact your Regional Support Manager or email drones@recf.org.