Scio Flyers UAS4STEM team has reached a technical milestone

[James Hartwell]

Hey Scio Flyers,

The Scio Flyers UAS4STEM team has reached a technical milestone by successfully integrating a Raspberry Pi with a Pixhawk flight controller, using precise MAVLink commands to achieve their first-ever fully autonomous flight. While the inaugural flight lasted approximately twenty seconds, it serves as a powerful proof of concept, definitively proving that the team is capable of programming complex autonomous missions. This sophisticated leap into intelligent robotics is bolstered by the successful development of a robust pickup and delivery system—visible on the underside of the drone—which is capable of transporting four-pound payloads with pinpoint accuracy driven by Raspberry Pi feedback. These dual engineering achievements represent a massive hurdle cleared in the field of unmanned aerial systems, and the team should be immensely proud of this progress as they pivot their focus toward the National Preliminary Competition on April 24, 2026.

Let’s fly,

Jim Hartwell

Scio Flyers President & UAS4STEM Team Manager

jim.ha...@scioflyers.org • (734) 408‑1392

See you at the field — bring your best landings.