Build Fly Code is a complete autonomous systems curriculum. Students learn to fly, code, and solve real problems with the same drone hardware used from after-school programs through service academies. Every lesson is below.
See example lessons
Everyone starts with Essentials. From there, Build Fly Code organizes learning by altitude, not by age. Students enter where they are and climb as far as they choose. The same Hopper hardware works at every stage.
The foundation of the entire pathway. Everyone begins with Essentials, every time, even returning students as a refresher. Three parts: Build, Fly, and Code. Build is the mastery core, where students learn every part of the Hopper, from motors and PCB to propellers and battery, so they own the machine before they fly it. Grace puts Essentials first in every plan, no matter what.
Twelve hands-on missions for after-school programs and enrichment, 50 to 65 minutes each. Students learn to fly, solve problems, and build confidence before formal coursework begins. The arc runs from a first hover to a scored Search and Rescue finish.
Five industries, three lessons each, fifteen in total. Every lesson pairs hands-on flight with the industry behind it, and the math is real. Geometry, trigonometry, algebra, functions, and variables all show up because the mission needs them.
Part 107 taught as subject matter, not as a cram course. Three missions right now, delivered through scenario-based learning alongside the flight time students have already logged.
The ladder does not end at graduation. Post-secondary programs put Hopper into a stack of their own design, drawing on the high school material with a light touch. FTW supplies the aircraft, the platform, and the foundation. The coursework around it belongs to the institution.
A learner outside any program can work the whole ladder alone. Homeschool families, career changers, and adults who bought a Hopper for themselves get the same content at the pace they set.
The ladder gains a rung. Think brings reasoning and sensing to the Hopper already sitting in your classroom. This is the part that matters most.
Free, on the Hopper you already own. Soon.
Build Fly Code Compete is our national competition. Three challenges, three different skill sets. One is won on the sticks, one with a hook attachment, one entirely in the code editor. They sit inside three of the five industries, but the challenge content is additional to the classroom curriculum, not a repeat of it. The fall window of the 2026/27 season is coming. Same Hopper. New stakes.
See the Competition →Every lesson comes with everything an educator needs. No curriculum development required.
Detailed, case-study-based lessons with setup schematics, extension activities, embedded formative assessments, and sample responses. Everything you need to deliver engaging, standards-aligned instruction.
Each lesson includes a slide deck that provides real-world context, outlines key details, and sets clear expectations for each phase of execution. Check-for-understanding questions are embedded throughout.
Available in digital and printable formats. Students log data, respond to scenario-based questions, and reflect on their findings during each simulation.
One lesson from each rung of the ladder. Download the teacher lesson plan, slide deck, and student workbook to see exactly what students do at every level.
Curriculum, programming, hardware, software. Bring us a lesson that will not run, code that will not compile, or a Hopper that will not fly right, and you get a live person on video. Not a ticket number. The team that builds all of it.
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.
Build Fly Code is built for institutional adoption. Every component meets the compliance, documentation, and funding requirements that program directors and district procurement offices need.
Hopper hardware and BFC curriculum qualify as CTE equipment and instructional materials under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. FTW provides grant documentation support for district procurement offices.
Hopper is not exposed to components from prohibited foreign manufacturers, making it fully compliant with NDAA Section 889. Eligible for use in Title I schools, JROTC programs, federally funded workforce contracts, and defense-adjacent curricula.
FTW Robotics accepts purchase orders and works directly with district procurement teams. Quote requests, sole-source justification letters, and compliance documentation are available upon request.
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Hopper Firmware 2.0 is here. It is the largest improvement to flight control and stability we have ever shipped.
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.