Regional Aerial Drone Competition

One of my most memorable competitions was the Regional Aerial Drone Competition in March 2026, which took place at my school. Twenty-six teams from across Texas competed, and my team earned two first-place trophies. My role was to code the drone for the autonomous portion of the competition.

On Saturday morning, every team arrived at the school by 8:00 a.m. After the opening ceremony, the teams were interviewed in a STEM classroom. The first teamwork matches then began in the high school gym. While the pilots competed, I prepared and checked my autonomous code for the coding section. After the teamwork matches ended, we ate lunch and prepared for the afternoon events.

After lunch, the skills and autonomous flights began. There were long lines of both coders and pilots waiting for their turns. While I waited, I reviewed my program carefully to make sure there were no errors. I wanted the drone to be ready as soon as my turn began.

Battery management was also important. My drone club advisor reminded me to conserve battery power by unplugging batteries when the drone was not being used. During practice, I noticed that the battery's charge level affected the drone's speed and movement. This mattered because even a small change in speed could affect the accuracy of the autonomous flight. Since our team had four batteries, we rotated them based on their charge levels and kept the unused batteries charging.

Later, the remaining qualification matches and alliance rounds took place. Sixteen teams advanced to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and finals. During the award ceremony, the final results for each section and age group were announced. I finished fourth in the coding section, while my team earned first place in both teamwork/qualification and skills.

This competition taught me that successful coding involves more than writing blocks or commands. I had to test the drone, manage battery levels, solve problems quickly, and stay calm under pressure. I had a lot of fun, and earning two first-place trophies with my team made the experience one of the highlights of my year.