As drones have moved from fringe hobbyist gear to mainstream know-how, they’ve taken off in faculties, too. What as soon as was an extracurricular curiosity is now a core a part of STEM training in school rooms throughout the U.S. And into this area steps Drone Legends, a full-service platform promising to deliver aerial robotics to college students from kindergarten by way of twelfth grade.
Drone Legends provides a variety of kits and curricula designed to show every little thing from fundamental science ideas to real-time first-person view (FPV) drone racing. It’s formidable. It’s comparatively polished. But — for a lot of faculties — it’s costly. I spent hours digging by way of the curriculum supplies, inspecting the {hardware} partnerships, evaluating rivals and evaluating whether or not Drone Legends is well worth the price ticket.
My take: it’s one of the complete choices accessible, particularly for faculties that need to transcend one-off drone demos and construct a long-term, standards-aligned program. However it’s not the most cost effective, and it’s not for each classroom.
Drone Legends: What you get
Drone Legends is just not one product. Slightly, it’s a collection of academic packages designed for various age ranges:
Little Legends (Grades Okay–3): A narrative-based program centered on teamwork, play, and early STEM publicity. There’s no drone piloting right here. As a substitute, youngsters observe characters by way of themed challenges designed to show ideas like problem-solving and cooperation. (Value: $2,999)
STEM Fundamentals (Grades 4–8): The flagship program for higher elementary and center college. This contains precise drones and missions that process college students with fixing simulated real-world issues, like catastrophe response or environmental mapping. College students work in groups and use fundamental coding, crucial considering and design abilities. (Value: $5,499, although it’s modifiable with small or giant class choices)
Egyptian Expedition (Grades 5–8): A digital extension of STEM Fundamentals that brings coding and drone simulation right into a narrative set in historic Egypt. It’s preferrred for faculties that need a digital-only choice or a budget-friendly add-on.
FPV Initiator (Grades 8–12): That is Drone Legends’ most formidable program. It’s designed for prime faculties and primarily constructed round actual FPV racing. It’s a precision drone pilot coaching course that culminates in dwell multiplayer competitions by way of the Unified Scholastic Drone Racing Affiliation (USDRA). College students use actual drones, fly in simulators and even compete in livestreamed races. (Value: $12,500, although there’s a small class choice for $6,499)
Why the highschool program focuses on FPV
The standout piece of the Drone Legends course sequence is its FPV Initiator program, aimed toward highschool college students.
Now I’ve reviewed many highschool drone packages. Some are generic to only constructing drones or coding them to fly autonomous in a particular route. I significantly take pleasure in drone gentle present programs, the place highschool college students can really choreograph their very own customized drone present (provided by way of websites like DroneBlocks).
However few provide a whole curriculum devoted to FPV (one of many few others being DroneBlocks). And sure, devoting a whole curriculum to FPV is a no brainer for in the present day’s college students. FPV drone racing is gaining reputation quick, and Drone Legends has leaned into this with a aggressive benefit: a structured path from classroom studying to national-level pupil leagues.
By the Drone Legends FPV Initiator program, college students are geared up with Orqa FPV goggles, controllers, and the light-weight NewBeeDrone AcroBee65 drone. These are legit racing instruments — the identical type utilized in entry-level skilled drone racing. College students additionally use Orqa’s free FPV SkyDive simulator to follow flying and race on-line in e-sports-style occasions. For faculties trying so as to add a high-skill, high-reward exercise alongside their esports or robotics group, that is arguably probably the most turnkey racing curriculum accessible.
Extra about Drone Legends prices — and when it’s value it
For academics on a restricted finances, the largest caveat with Drone Legends will seemingly be the fee.
The FPV Initiator full classroom equipment, which incorporates {hardware} for 10 college students, software program, and the complete curriculum, retails for round $12,500. That’s a steep funding, even by academic know-how requirements. Although, there’s additionally an choice for smaller courses accessible for $6,499.
The STEM Fundamentals equipment begins decrease, but it surely’s focusing on a youthful demographic (elementary and center college for STEM Fundamentals, versus highschool for FPV Initiator). Nonetheless that one prices $5,500.
The upside? The whole lot is included, from lesson plans to flight gear. For a college seeking to roll out a multi-year drone curriculum with aggressive racing choices, it is a one-stop store. However for smaller packages, or faculties testing the waters, the up-front price is likely to be prohibitive.
What’s new with Drone Legends? A Half 107 prep course
Drone Legends is consistently evolving, and its new, classroom-ready Federal Aviation Administration Half 107 Distant Pilot Examination Prep curriculum is proof of that. Passing that examination provides you the license you could legally fly drones commercially.
In contrast to many Half 107 on-line take a look at prep programs, this one is designed for in-person use, with group actions to maintain college students engaged. It additionally contains quizzes, mini exams and a full-length follow take a look at, alongside printable supplies and Google Kinds.
The Drone Legends Half 107 course comes included without cost with the FPV Initiator and STEM Fundamentals programs. In any other case, standalone college website licenses are $2,900 per college website.
Although taking the Half 107 take a look at is simply accessible to individuals ages 16 and older, it nonetheless can work for center and highschool college students to given them crucial drone security and operational info — and to prepared them for once they flip 16.
How Drone Legends compares to different drone packages
Drone Legends is a number of totally different curriculums aimed toward college students of various ranges, every tackling totally different topic areas.
And naturally, Drone Legends isn’t the one drone training sport on the market. Rivals like DroneBlocks, Drone Cadets and CoDrone all provide extra modular or coding-focused experiences.
Drone Legends versus DroneBlocks
DroneBlocks is nice for educating programming, significantly block-based and Python coding. It’s extra inexpensive and versatile however you would possibly discover it lacks team-based curriculum depth that Drone Legends provides. Nonetheless, it’s seemingly the closest competitor to Drone Legends.
Like Drone Legends, DroneBlocks has its personal drone racing equipment, this one created in partnership with the MultiGP STEM Alliance. The DroneBlocks FPV equipment contains {hardware}, curriculum and racing simulation software program, plus registration for 2 groups to enter the MultiGP “Drones in Colleges” League. That equipment begins at $3,500 and contains 5 drones (so it’s possible you’ll end up shopping for extra so every pupil can have one).
DroneBlocks additionally takes issues a step additional with different course choices. For instance, there’s a DroneBlocks gentle present equipment that features each the curriculum in addition to 10 swarm drones so you’ll be able to construct your personal drone gentle present. That equipment prices $7,500, although there are alternatives so as to add extra drones which will increase the worth (the 90-drone equipment would price $58,000).
Drone Legends versus Drone Cadets
What differentiates Drone Cadets is that it leans into neighborhood engagement, management, and social-emotional studying. It’s a compelling program for faculties with sturdy youth mentorship targets, however its technical curriculum is much less intensive.
Drone Cadets locations a heavy emphasis on making drone gentle reveals, which can be enjoyable. In case you’d moderately make drone gentle reveals versus do FPV racing, Drone Cadets would possibly make extra sense to you.
Drone Legends versus CoDrone
CoDrone is a strong mid-tier choice, providing programmable drones with sturdy lesson plans. It’s not as wealthy in story or mission-based studying as Drone Legends, and doesn’t have the identical esports or racing integration. However, it’s seen success in some powerhouse faculties, together with Kentucky’s Kammerer Center Faculty. The truth is, their college students wrote a evaluate of the CoDrone (together with some reputable complaints) for The Drone Woman.
CoDrone EDU is offered as a standalone drone for $249 every. Or, you should buy an entire 18-pack CoDrone EDU equipment with lesson plans for $5,700.
The place Drone Legends matches into the combo
Drone Legends stands aside by combining all three: flight, coding, and competitors. It’s long-term choose as college students can progress by way of the programs as they grow old. And that ultimate course is probably probably the most enjoyable, providing structured entry right into a nationwide pupil racing league with livestreamed multiplayer occasions.
Drone Legends: is it value it?
Drone Legends is likely one of the most thoughtfully developed Okay–12 drone training platforms we’ve seen. The supplies are classroom-ready. The drones used are sturdy and acceptable for college students. And the combo of mission-based studying, simulation and actual FPV flight retains college students engaged and challenged.
That mentioned, it’s a severe dedication — financially and logistically. Colleges with a robust STEM or esports pipeline will seemingly discover this program well worth the funding, particularly for the FPV Initiator monitor. However for those who’re simply trying so as to add drones as a STEM enrichment exercise or membership, you is likely to be higher served by a lower-cost, extra modular platform like DroneBlocks or CoDrone.
I like to recommend Drone Legends for faculties which might be able to go all-in on drones — not simply as flying toys, however as severe instruments for constructing teamwork, tech fluency and future careers.
Enroll in Drone Legends right here.
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