Drone & Aviation STEM Course for Kids, Grades 4–12 | Aerial Academy™ First Flight Season

Turn screen time into flight time.

Aerial Academy™ First Flight Season is a 6-week online course where your child learns to fly a small camera drone and discovers how flight actually works. Each week pairs a short video lesson with a real flying mission, so the learning happens in the air, not just on a screen.

What's included

• 7 online modules: Pre-Flight orientation plus 6 weekly lessons
• 16 short videos taught by Tonya Remillard. Each week has a 5–8 minute Flight Briefing (the science) and a 3–5 minute Flight Demo (the flying skill).
• A hands-on Ground Lesson each week that needs no drone (paper helicopters, maps, storyboards), so rainy days still count
• One Mission Card each week, with several ways in (photography, mapping, design or problem solving) so every kind of learner finds a door
• A printable Flight Logbook™ to record every flight: date, time aloft, mission and one thing noticed
• A Pre-Flight safety lesson, the Aerial Citizenship™ Pledge (safety, privacy, respect for people, animals and airspace), and a walkthrough of the FAA's free safety test for flying outdoors
• A final showcase flight, a Hero's Portfolio™ entry, and a First Flight Wings certificate for pilots who complete the season

The six weeks

• Week 1, Flight Foundations: hover, land and fly a square
• Week 2, The Science of Flying: lift, gravity, drag, and why a maple seed spins
• Week 3, Nature From Above: observe one place from the air and sketch its map
• Week 4, Photography & Storytelling: frame three shots that tell one story
• Week 5, Engineering & Problem Solving: fly an obstacle course and log what failed and why
• Week 6, Careers & Air Show: a showcase flight and a look at aviation, mapping and media careers

Format and schedule

• Online, self-paced video course on the Skool platform. The account belongs to the parent; your child watches and flies alongside you.
• The season opens Monday, January 11, 2027, and one module releases each week. Families who join later get every released module right away.
• Plan on about 1–2 hours a week, including flying time.
• Beginner level, with three depths (Notice, Investigate, Analyze) so older students take the same missions deeper.

How you get in

• After you order, we email the parent an invitation to join the course classroom.
• Order now to save your seat for the January 11 launch.
• Paying with ESA or Utah Fits All funds? Write to us before you order and we'll point you to the right checkout.

What you'll need

• A beginner camera drone under 250 g with propeller guards. The Aerial Academy™ Flight Kit (sold separately) has everything, and any equivalent drone works.
• A smartphone or tablet for the drone's app

Instructor: Tonya Remillard, MAT, founder and Master Teacher of SmartHead Co.™, Utah STEM-endorsed educator with 20+ years teaching K–8 science and technology.

Stay curious.