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Welcome to Drone Flight & Coding

Welcome! Over the next five days you’ll build a real quadcopter, learn to fly it like a pilot, and then program it to fly on its own. Today is Foundations Day - before anything takes off, you’ll build your drone, understand how it flies, and learn to handle it safely.
Roadmap of the five-day drone camp: build, fly, code, camera, and capstone

Your five-day journey - from a boxed-up kit to a coded capstone mission

This camp is fully virtual and facilitator-led. Every student has a Pitsco Echo Drone shipped to their home to build, fly, and keep.

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The one big idea of camp

Everything this week follows the same loop that real engineers use: build something, fly (test) it, code it to do more, and create your own missions. You’ll spin this loop over and over, getting a little bolder each time.
Circular loop showing build, fly, code, and create stages around a drone

The build-fly-code-create loop you'll repeat all week

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What today is about

What is a drone?

Learn what makes a drone a drone and where drones are used in the real world.

How drones fly

The four forces of flight and how four spinning propellers create controlled movement.

Anatomy of your drone

Every major part of your Echo Drone and what it does.

Build your drone

Attach the propellers and guards, install the battery, and get flight-ready.

Safety first

The rules that keep you, your drone, and everyone around you safe.

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The week ahead

Day 1 - Build & basics

Unbox and build your drone, learn how drones fly, and cover safety.

Day 2 - Fly it

Pair the controller, learn the controls, and take your first flights.

Day 3 - Start coding

Connect over Bluetooth at echo.pitsco.com and write your first programs.

Day 4 - Camera & FPV

See through the drone’s camera and fly first-person-view.

Day 5 - Advanced & capstone

Build more complex programs with the AT-66BL app and your capstone.

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Meet your camp team

Your instructors and technical helpers support you all week. Please allow up to 24 hours for email replies.

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Get set up for success

Clear a flying space

You’ll need an indoor area with a few meters of clear floor, away from people and pets.

Charge everything

Charge the drone battery fully and put fresh AAA batteries in the controller.

Have your devices ready

A laptop or Chromebook for coding (Day 3+), and a phone or tablet for the camera (Day 4).

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Icebreaker: dream up a mission

Before we build, take two minutes and imagine: if you had a flying robot that could go anywhere and see anything, what job would you give it? Jot down one idea. Keep it somewhere safe - the best Day 5 capstone projects come from exactly this kind of spark.
Instructor: go around and have each student share their one-sentence “dream mission.” It warms up the room, surfaces interests, and gives you hooks to call back to all week (“Remember Maya’s search-and-rescue idea? That’s what thermal drones really do.”).

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Safety first

Drones are safe when handled correctly, but spinning propellers and lithium batteries deserve respect. Keep these rules in mind all week.
  • Spinning propellers can cut. Keep fingers, hair, and loose clothing clear whenever the drone is powered on.
  • Always fly indoors in a clear space, never above people or animals.
  • Handle the lithium battery carefully - never puncture, crush, or charge it unattended.
  • Land and power off before picking the drone up.
You’re ready to begin when your workspace is clear, your drone and controller are charged, and you have a way to take notes. Let’s build!