/ˈout,kəm/ noun
Student outcomes are our North Star, the proficiencies the aeronautics, drone and autonomy industries require.
3,000 schools and growing, in all 50 states, have taught with Build Fly Code.
No pilot. Just code. The new Code module in Build Fly Code Essentials. Students write the code, Hopper flies it. On the Resources page and the platform.
Hopper is the drone. We just shipped new firmware free to every Hopper ever sold. It is a major improvement to flight control, and it loads onto drones already sitting in classrooms. Next up is Build Fly Code Think, our Python and computer vision programming, coming soon to the same drones.
Build Fly Code®
Build Fly Code is FTW's core curriculum for the Hopper. Everyone starts with Essentials. From there, students move into the track that fits their grade and aptitude, and the Hopper does not change underneath them. This is what buying the drone once actually buys.
The ladder · Everyone starts at 00
00 · REQUIRED
All levels
Build, Fly, and Code, all three hands-on. Build the drone chapter by chapter, fly a 3D Hopper from the real CAD, then write the code that flies it.
01
Grades 5–8
Twelve missions. No prerequisites.
02
Middle and high school
Five industries, fifteen lessons, CTE pathway aligned.
03
Middle and high school
One national leaderboard. Won on the sticks, with a hook, and in the code editor.
04
High school
Airspace, maintenance, and weather as subject matter. Real charts and reports, flown on the Hopper, with Part 107 practice questions in every workbook.
05
Coming soon
Python and computer vision. Reasoning and sensing on the Hopper you already own.
06
College and up
Programs put Hopper into their own stack, drawing on the high school material with a light touch.
07
Outside the classroom
Self-paced mastery, no institution required, on hardware you own.
Everyone begins with Essentials, every time, including returning students as a refresher. Grace puts it first in every plan she helps build. Eight rungs, one purchase. Nothing on that strip asks for different hardware.
What is in it
Industry Pathways · Five industries, five real missions
01
Emergency Response
The scenario students fly more than any other on the platform.
02
Precision Agriculture
Survey work and data-driven decisions on a working field.
03
Package Delivery
Routing, payload, and precision landing under real constraints.
04
Search and Rescue
Coverage and search discipline when time is the enemy.
05
Site Inspection
Structured inspection passes and documentation that holds up.
Each one pairs hands-on flight with the industry behind it, delivered as case-study lessons with setup schematics, teacher slide decks, student workbooks, and embedded formative assessments. The mission names are the same ones students see in the curriculum and on the competition field.
Teaching a class, homeschooling, or building a summer camp? Grace knows the FTW curriculum cold, every lesson across Build Fly Code, Hopper Quest, Part 107, and Essentials. Tell her your grade level, your schedule, and what you have, and she will advise you on where to start, what to run, and how to pace it across your weeks. Ask her anything. She is the expert, and she is right here. Free for Build Fly Code platform access holders and anyone considering joining.
Hopper Firmware 2.0 is here. A brand new sensor fusion and flight stability algorithm delivers decisively better flight.
Hopper holds position better, responds more precisely, and handles rough landings without drama. Crash detection was rebuilt, so a normal landing no longer leaves the drone unable to take off again.
Every Hopper gets it. Free. It loads onto drones already in the field through the FTW Fly app in a few minutes. Nothing to buy, nothing to ship back, no new hardware.
That is possible because FTW owns its entire flight control and telemetry stack. American built, wholly owned, zero outside dependency. When the software gets better, the drones already in your classroom get better with it.
Watch the walkthrough, then open FTW Fly and update yours.