Plan • code • fly
Mission files — ArduPilot AUTO
.waypoints missions flown by the flight controller in AUTO: waypoints and photos, a route around a no-fly zone, DO_JUMP laps, a camera-trigger survey, and speed and loiter.
Begin with Simple steps or Blocks, then move to Python, mission files and Lua as the tasks require. Each mission lists its actual language options. These exercises include real Python and Lua execution in the browser, as well as block programming.
Mission files — ArduPilot AUTO
.waypoints missions flown by the flight controller in AUTO: waypoints and photos, a route around a no-fly zone, DO_JUMP laps, a camera-trigger survey, and speed and loiter.
Your first .waypoints mission
TAKEOFF, waypoints, photos, RTL — flown by the flight controller in AUTO.
Grades 8–11Around the fiesta
A mission that respects the no-fly zone — both ways.
Grades 8–11Laps with DO_JUMP
The mission file's loop: fly the field edge three times.
Grades 8–11Cacao block survey
DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_DIST: the camera fires every few metres along the strips.
Grades 9–11Fast there, slow and steady at the chapel
DO_CHANGE_SPEED, IMAGE_START_CAPTURE and LOITER_TIME.
Grades 9–11Concepts in this track
mavlink
MAVLink command identifiers describe flight-controller actions. Mission files combine those identifiers with frames and parameters.
missions
A mission is an ordered set of flight-controller instructions. Its final instruction and return behaviour matter as much as its first waypoint.
coordinates
Coordinates locate a target relative to an origin or on the Earth. Check the coordinate frame and units before moving.
geofence
A geofence defines a permitted area. A program must respond before crossing its boundary.
safety
Success includes avoiding collisions and restricted areas, respecting mission limits and completing the return.
loops
A loop repeats a group of instructions. Its count and stopping condition determine when it finishes.
mapping
A mapping flight collects observations across an area. Reaching a few points does not necessarily cover the whole field.
overlap
Adjacent photographs need shared coverage. Flight height, camera footprint and strip spacing affect gaps between images.
timing
A command can start an action before that action finishes. Distinguish elapsed time from completed motion.
speed
Speed is distance per unit time. A faster setting can change timing and the space needed to reach a target.
How teachers use the missions
Start with the public explanation and ask students to predict what will happen. Compare the preview with that prediction, then sign in to change the controls or run a program. Ask pairs to record one change and explain its effect using the science or programming concept on the page.
Run them with a class
Read the grade bands and teaching connections, choose one activity, and share its preview with students. The description is public; opening the interactive activity requires a free account.