Online courses · XEducation

Build & Fly Your First Drone

Drone physics and parts, step by step, for complete beginners. Free, with a certificate, in English and Arabic.

Drone physics and parts, step by step, for complete beginners. Free, with a certificate, in English and Arabic.. Anis Koubaa. 6 modules · 6 lessons · 34 min · Beginner. Audio in English, Arabic.

A free course for complete beginners who want to understand drones and build their own. Each lesson is one short video that explains one step, with the simple physics behind it and real numbers: how a quadcopter flies, how to choose the frame size, the motors and propellers, and the battery and speed controllers.

We build one drone through the whole course: a 450 mm quadcopter with PX4. Every lesson re-uses the numbers of the previous one, so by the end you can size a drone yourself.

Every lesson is available in English and in Arabic: choose the language in the player. Each lesson ends with a short quiz. Complete the lessons and pass the quizzes to receive a free certificate.

New lessons are added as the series continues: next, the flight software (PX4 or ArduPilot), then assembly, setup and the first flight.

What you will learn

• Explain how a quadcopter climbs, hovers, rolls, pitches and yaws using only motor speed
• Choose a frame size (250, 450 or 650 mm) and explain what it changes
• Read motor and propeller names such as 2212, 920KV and 10x4.5, and apply the thrust-to-weight rule
• Read a battery label (3S, 2200 mAh, 50C), choose the speed controllers and estimate the flight time
• Use the simple physics behind each choice: Newton's laws, torque, energy and electric charge

Course content

1. Before you start
2. How a quadcopter flies
3. Choosing the frame size
4. Choosing motors and propellers
5. Choosing the battery and ESC
6. Final assessment

Instructor: Anis Koubaa