Assembling and programming the drones came easily for most. Flying them proved harder.

"The flying part is quite tricky," admitted Aron Lips, a tech teacher at Aruküla Basic School. "Teachers are trying here, and on our first tries, it's just straight into the ceiling before crashing back down again."

At Elva High School, teacher Illimar Lõiv said the school hopes to introduce a drone elective next year and is already preparing staff.

He acknowledged that some students likely have more experience flying such devices than the teachers do. "We're trying to keep up," he added.

Lõiv said he plans to take what he learns at the aviation school back to the classroom and help develop something new at the school.

Interest in drones is growing in schools, but actual opportunities remain limited, often due to cost. According to the Estonian Association of Engineers (EIL), only about 10 percent of basic schools currently have the capacity to teach drone skills.

Teachers say equipment is expensive and not widely available, making it difficult to offer hands-on learning to entire classes. Instead, schools often rely on a few shared kits for smaller groups.

Either way, Oskar Saarepera, head of drone training at the aviation academy, said the goal is to introduce the field early while stressing responsibility.

"As soon as a drone takes off, it's an aircraft," he emphasized. "And that comes with rules."

Organizers hope training programs like this will help expand access and bring drone education into more classrooms across Estonia.

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