What Students Learn

Students learn how aerial firefighting has evolved and discuss how drones could transform future fire response in urban and rural settings. Through a real case study, they examine how engineers use the Engineering Design Process to design firefighting technologies, and they apply geometric concepts—complementary angles, right‑triangle relationships, and the Pythagorean Theorem—to determine precise rotations and distances for drone navigation.

What Students Do

Students code Hopper to fly from a reservoir to three burning buildings arranged on the corners of a 10' × 10' square, collecting water and extinguishing each fire while staying within the fly zone. They calculate angles and distances, plan an efficient route, and test and refine their code using the Engineering Design Process. After completing the main challenge, students can attempt an extension that requires adapting their code to a new layout with different building positions.