What Students Learn

Students learn how pilots plan and communicate flight routes by designing navigation charts, identifying obstacles, and writing step‑by‑step flight plans. They explore how coding can automate these routes, comparing manual flight to programmed autopilot behavior. In the Power Inspection activity, they learn how drones are used in real energy and utility work and how loops make repeated inspection patterns more efficient. Across both missions, students deepen their understanding of sequencing, problem‑solving, and coding structure.

What Students Do

Students begin with a movement‑based icebreaker before designing a custom flight field with obstacles and waypoints. They sketch a navigation chart, write a six‑step flight plan, and manually pilot Hopper through the course. They then switch to coding, programming Hopper to fly the same route autonomously. In the Power Inspection mission, students diagram a three‑line inspection path and code Hopper to move up, across, and down between simulated transmission towers, using loops to repeat the pattern. Teams finish by storing equipment and reflecting on accuracy, efficiency, and coding strategy.