Classroom to Flight Courses | Teaching Drones Without an Aviation Background

Drones are now widely used in education, with many schools and training programs integrating them into STEM and coding curricula. Still, there are many teachers who think they are unable to teach about drones in the classroom due to a lack of required skills, training, or confidence. Though more and more educators, just like you, are successfully bringing drone technology into their schools, with zero prior flight experience. You don’t need to be a tech expert or have a pilot’s license to get started.

With beginner-friendly drone kits and teacher-focused courses available today, you can easily learn the basics of drone operation, safety, and classroom integration. These resources offer simple steps, hands-on practice, and lesson plans.

In this blog, let’s discuss all the important things you need to know like how drones work, how drone flying training can make teaching drones much easier and more. So, let’s begin!

Understanding Drone Technology

A drone, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is a type of aircraft that flies without a pilot on board. It can be flown remotely or autonomously using onboard software. Drones are usually small to medium in size, and their functionality depends on several key elements, including:

• Airframe: The physical structure that supports the drone and gives it shape.

• Propulsion system: Motors, propellers, speed controllers, and batteries that enable flight.

• Navigation and control: Systems like GPS, inertial sensors (IMUs), compasses, barometers, and flight controllers that guide movement and maintain stability.

• Communication system: Radio signals, Wi-Fi, or LTE are used for real-time control and data transmission.

• Sensors and automation: Obstacle detection, object tracking, and AI-assisted systems for safe and smart navigation.

• Payload: Task-specific equipment like cameras, thermal sensors, or delivery containers.

• Software and data systems: Platforms for flight planning, monitoring, data collection, and analysis.

Challenges Non-Aviation Teachers Face

Lack Of Technical Knowledge

Teachers without a technical background struggle to understand how drones work, including parts like propulsion, gyroscope, sensors, and flight controllers. This makes it hard to explain concepts, fix basic issues, or confidently guide students, leading to uncertainty during lessons and slower learning in the classroom.

Interpreting Aviation Regulations

Understanding drone laws set by authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can be tricky. Non-aviation teachers often face difficulty interpreting terms like “airspace classification,” “line of sight,” or “remote pilot certification,” which are crucial for safe and legal drone operations in schools. Taking an FAA drone pilot course or going through FAA drone test prep can make these topics more manageable for educators.

Safety And Risk Management

Teaching drones requires strict attention to safety protocols. Without proper drone flying training, non-aviation teachers may not be prepared to assess risks like battery failure, crash potential, or weather impact, increasing safety concerns during flight sessions.

Limited Access To Curriculum Resources

Many drone education programs are built with aviation-trained instructors in mind. As a result, non-aviation teachers often struggle to find beginner-friendly teaching materials or structured lesson plans that break down flight principles for classroom use.

Budget Constraints And Equipment Selection

Choosing the right drone equipment within a school budget can be challenging without aviation knowledge. Teachers may not know what features are necessary for education (e.g., GPS vs. non-GPS drones), which can lead to overspending or purchasing unsuitable gear.

Developing a Curriculum from Scratch

Creating a drone education curriculum without prior experience in aviation is no small task. From aligning with learning standards to ensuring age-appropriate content, the process can be time-consuming and confusing. Teachers often face questions like:

• What concepts should I cover? 

• How do I make this engaging? 

• Do I need to know how to fly a drone myself? 

That’s where NextWaveSTEM comes in. With our ready-to-use, expertly crafted curriculum, you get a solid framework that sets your students up for success, ensuring they receive a comprehensive, future-ready education in drone technology. 

However, the support doesn’t stop once you’re up and running. With a full year of included licensing, you’ll have ongoing access to technical support, curriculum guidance, and instructional strategies—so you're never left to tackle challenges on your own.

How NextWaveSTEM Makes Teaching Drones Effortless

Comprehensive Turnkey Curriculum

NextWaveSTEM offers a complete, ready-to-use curriculum, where the lessons are progressive, standards-aligned, and tailored for a range of grade levels. Centered around the Tello drone, the Drone Prep Course gradually introduces your students to concepts like flight mechanics, safety, and drone applications. Each unit builds on the one before it to ensure your students are moving through a well-structured, purposeful learning journey that leads to real-world relevance. Furthermore, the curriculum also integrates the TelloEDU and DroneBlocks apps, providing your students with an easy and hands-on way to program their drones and execute flight missions.

User-Friendly Resources 

Forget sorting through complex manuals or piecing together scattered online materials. Every lesson includes ready-to-use teaching materials that come with everything you need—presentations, worksheets, assessments, and instructor guides—perfectly paced for your classroom and ready to use. These resources are designed with teachers in mind, enabling you to focus on facilitating learning rather than creating content from scratch.

Drone Coding Simulator With CTE  Pathways (No Physical Drone Required)

NextWaveSTEM makes it easy for you to bring drone education into the classroom—even if you don’t have access to physical drones. The browser-based drone coding simulator provides your students with a comprehensive virtual flight experience, allowing them to write and test code in real-time. This means that you don’t need to worry about hardware setup or managing drone flights indoors. Instead, you can focus on guiding students as they build technical skills and explore clear CTE pathways—all from a regular classroom computer. 

Hands-On Training For Educators

To support teachers, NextWaveSTEM offers hands-on, step-by-step drone training specifically for the classroom environment. These sessions cover everything from flying Tello drones and using flight/coding apps to resolving common technical issues. Additionally, educators also learn how to incorporate drone activities meaningfully into existing lessons, ensuring alignment with STEM learning objectives and curriculum standards.

Continuous Support System

Need help setting up the DroneBlocks app? Looking for fresh ideas to customize a lesson with Tello drones? NextWaveSTEM is here to help through live Q&A sessions, responsive email support, and an educator community. 

Certification & Career Readiness 

The FAA drone license course, offered by NextWaveSTEM, aligns with industry expectations and supports real certification opportunities. Through this, students gain hands-on exposure to FAA guidelines and can even work toward earning their FAA Part 107 drone pilot certification. Along the way, they’ll also explore essential topics from the aviation world, including FAA regulations, airspace classification, map reading, pre-flight procedures, flight operations, and more. 

Engaging Content 

Drone lessons through NextWaveSTEM keep students actively engaged. From designing custom flight missions to coding drones using block-based logic, the FAA drone pilot course helps you grab students’ attention while encouraging creativity and problem-solving. To such an extent that you will see your students light up as they explore and work with Tello drones' compact design, stability, and programmability.

Transform Your Classroom With Drone Education

Teaching drones doesn’t have to be intimidating with the right curriculum and support; it can be exciting, approachable, and incredibly rewarding. In fact, once you see how easily it fits into your teaching, you'll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. So, ready to bring something new and engaging into your classroom? Contact NextWaveSTEM today to get started with hands-on drone training designed just for educators—simple, effective, and built to boost student engagement and real-world STEM skills.