SCADA
SAP Consortium Air Drone Academy
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Unified drone soccer
One league where Deaf, Hard of Hearing, disabled and mainstream students build, fly and compete on the same teams, in the same cages, for the same trophy.
Building futures, one flight at a time.
SAP Consortium Air Drone Academy (SCADA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Michigan. We empower the next generation through drone education, hands-on training and real-world experiences that prepare students for high-demand careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.
We work with K–12 students, out-of-school youth and underserved learners, including students who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or living with a disability, in partnership with schools, community organizations, industry and government.
To impart critical STEM concepts to school-going and dropout students, empowering them to become certified air drone pilots and technical leaders in the aviation industry.
Inspiring students, strengthening communities and expanding the future of aviation.
Structured UAS training for educators and students, aligned with STEM standards.
Preparing students for FAA Part 107 certification and career pathways in aviation and aerospace.
Engaging underserved and dropout students through accessible, hands-on STEM programs.
Exciting drone shows and performances that educate, entertain and inspire the public.
From a teacher's first drone lesson to a festival crowd looking up, there's a way into flight for every age.
Professional development for teachers to bring drone technology into the classroom.
After-school and summer programs that spark curiosity and build confidence.
Team-based challenges that build innovation, teamwork and real-world problem solving.
Dynamic drone shows for community events, festivals and special celebrations.
Drone soccer is a team sport played with drones. Two teams fly caged drones inside a netted arena. Each team's striker tries to fly through the other team's goal ring while teammates block and defend. This match is running live.
Every pilot flies a small quadcopter inside a round protective shell.
One pilot per team can score. The rest clear a path or guard their goal.
A glowing hoop raised high at each end. Fly the striker through it to score.
LEDs show which team each drone is on, so pilots and fans follow the game by sight.
Netting keeps drones in and people out. No one is ever in the line of play.
Pilots fly from outside the cage, standing or seated, with the same controls.
Most youth with disabilities are left out of team sports, and Deaf students are left out of most STEM coaching because it is delivered by voice. We don't run a regular league and an adaptive one. We run one league.
Here is how drone soccer removes the barriers of traditional sports, one by one.
LED goals, flags and lights replace whistles and shouting. A Deaf pilot is often the best striker on the team: sharp visual focus, and no crowd noise to pull attention away.
ASL coaches, vibrating wristbands, and a large TV scoreboard every pilot can read.
The pilot station is seated, so a wheelchair user has the same controls as a standing teammate. Steady hands and a precise hover make a very good goalie.
Height-adjustable ADA tables, joystick and tray mounts, and sip-and-puff compatible controls.
A match happens inside a net, on a posted schedule, with clear signals. Students with autism or ADHD get high focus without the noise of a basketball gym.
A quiet corner and noise-cancelling headsets, available to anyone who wants them.
It is drone against drone inside a net, never person against person. Nobody runs and nobody gets tackled.
Same jersey, same team. Every pilot plays on one roster, never in a separate adaptive bracket.
Students build and repair with their hands first. When we made picture-based repair guides for students with learning disabilities, every student started repairing faster.
A picture-based playbook, plus video lessons in ASL with English captions.
In drone soccer, the disability disappears and the ability appears.
Drone soccer comes with a full science and engineering component. Students build, program and repair their drones as a team before they enter a tournament.
Drones crash. The first crash is the first repair, and that repair is where a lot of engineers start.
Seven students make a team: five active pilots and two alternates. All seven rotate through every position, and no one is benched. This is a sample roster. Rotate it and the rule still holds.
Built on Universal Design for Learning: we design each lesson for the student with the greatest need, and every student learns better for it.
Mainstream and adaptive learners take the same lesson at the same time. Every session follows a visual schedule posted on the wall and on the TV.
Drone soccer needs very little room. With a net and goal markers it fits in a school gym or even a classroom, so a team can start almost anywhere. The equipment is bought once and works for every pilot on the roster.
Tell us who you are and what you have in mind. Schools that want a team, families with a young pilot, funders and employers: we'll get back to you with next steps and the full program plan.