Where Innovation Takes Flight: Inside the Fayetteville Drone Challenge
Teams gathered for Day Two of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Drone Challenge at The Range Complex in Cumberland County. The air buzzed with both energy and anticipation — a mix of student engineers, military operators, and tech entrepreneurs preparing for a day that would test not just their drones, but their problem-solving under pressure.
Unlike Day One’s individual high-speed races, Day Two was about teamwork and tactical innovation — missions that mimicked real-world conditions like supply delivery under GPS interference and search-and-rescue operations. The challenge was designed to bridge classroom concepts and operational realities — exactly the kind of applied learning NCInnovation exists to support.
“NCInnovation was proud to sponsor this competition,” said Alison Beaty, Fayetteville Hub Director for NCInnovation, who helped organize the event in partnership with the Fayetteville-Cumberland Economic Development Corporation. “There is no other event in the country that gives university faculty and students the chance to partner with end users and compete together. We love supporting opportunities for North Carolina universities to get their technology in front of industry and government partners.”
The event drew eight schools and over twenty industry vendors, sponsors, and competitors, who came from as far away as Canada and Taiwan. Despite the government shutdown, it also drew dozens of observers and competitors from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Many active-duty participants elected to take a day pass to be able to say they attended the inaugural DCOMP event, if only in civilian attire.
“This event is a perfect example of what happens when academia, industry, and defense come together with a shared purpose,” said Rob Patton, Vice President of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, which presented the event. “We wanted to create a space where bright minds could demonstrate not just what they’ve built, but how they think under pressure. That’s where innovation really comes alive.”
The most important outcome of the event was connecting researchers and students, including those at Fayetteville State University and Terry Sanford High School, with industry and defense partners — aligning the event with NCInnovation’s mission to turn research into real-world impact across the state.
“Partnerships like these are how we help ideas move from lab to launch,” said Dr. Steven Singletary of UNC Pembroke, who brought 3D printers to the event to repair parts and create custom components. “When you see students applying what they’ve learned to solve problems that matter, you realize this isn’t just a competition — it’s a microcosm of what NCInnovation and North Carolina universities are trying to do statewide.”
As the second day’s tactical exercises began, teams had to navigate the unexpected challenge of high winds as Team Captains relayed instructions to their operators.
Ed Herderick, Director of Education & Workforce Development at America Makes, said, “What’s remarkable here isn’t just the technology — it’s the collaboration. You have high schoolers, college teams, and defense professionals working side by side, learning from each other. That’s how you build a sustainable innovation culture.”
Grace Edwards, a JROTC student at Terry Sanford High School, was among those inspired by what she saw. “I joined our school’s drone club this year because I wanted to learn how drones actually operate,” she said. “I thought they were just for flying or transport, but seeing all the ways people can use them — for search and rescue, deliveries, even building — it’s really amazing.”
Assigned to Team Two, Grace helped observe and judge the drone drop challenges. “I was watching to see if the drones hit their targets,” she said with a grin. “It felt amazing — I felt like a star. Seeing everyone work together, from students to soldiers, it really showed how you become a team. We were like a family.”
She said the experience changed how she thinks about innovation. “I didn’t know you could build drones from different materials and components,” she said. “Watching it all come together made me realize how creative engineering really is.”
So who won? The Grand Champion of the Day 1 individual races was an active-duty Navy seaman who traveled hundreds of miles to participate. The winning team of the Day 2 Tactical Grand Challenge included participants from Campbell University and the Army, as well as from Raven Advisory LLC and drone manufacturing company Red Cat. Gusts of wind made it difficult to keep drones in the air, and cheers could be heard across The Range Complex when teams hit their targets.
For NCInnovation, the Drone Challenge represented more than a sponsorship — it embodied the organization’s core mission: helping university-led research and talent translate into market-ready solutions that serve the state’s industries and communities.
By the end of the day, as teams wrapped up their final tactical scenarios, Derrick Welch, Senior Regional Director for NCInnovation, reflected on the bigger picture. “Events like this show the power of connection,” he said. “You have innovators from every corner of North Carolina working together — educators, students, and industry experts. That’s what makes this state’s innovation ecosystem so strong.”
Herderick agreed. “The real takeaway here,” he said, “is that North Carolina is building something sustainable — an innovation ecosystem that values both experimentation and execution. America Makes is proud to be part of that alongside NCInnovation.”
For Grace Edwards, the takeaway was deeply personal. “Today showed me that innovation starts with people who believe they can solve hard problems,” she said. “After high school, I want to go into nursing, serve in the military, and eventually become a nurse anesthetist. But being here showed me that no matter what field you’re in, teamwork and problem-solving matter. That’s what this event was all about.”
