Loading...

Drone Building Workshop

AlgoAtWork, 50 Richards Drive, Halfway House

  • Monday, Nov 16, 2026
  • 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM

About

You walk in with a curious mind. You walk out a drone builder.


This is not a demo you watch from the back of the room. Over the course of 15 days, you assemble a working FPV racing drone from scratch, wire it, configure it, tune it, take it to the field, and fly what you built.


Every builder gets their own kit and a bench. AlgoAtWork facilitators work alongside you at every stage, so you never get stuck on a solder joint or a setting you don't understand.


What you'll build and learn

  1. The frame - Assemble a carbon fibre racing frame and learn why its shape, weight and stiffness decide how your drone flies.
  2. Motors and propellers - Mount and wire four brushless motors, set the correct spin direction and fit your props for thrust and balance.
  3. ESCs (electronic speed controllers) - Solder and connect the ESCs that turn your battery's power into precise motor control, and understand how they talk to the flight controller.
  4. The flight controller - Install, flash and configure the brain of the drone in Betaflight: receiver binding, flight modes, arming and failsafes.
  5. PID tuning - Learn what P, I and D actually do, then tune your own drone so it flies locked-in and responsive rather than wobbly and twitchy.
  6. Fly it live - Take your drone to the flying zone, go through pre-flight safety checks and fly it first on a simulator warm-up, then for real.


Who it's for

  • High school learners (Grade 8 and up), students and young adults curious about robotics, electronics and aviation
  • Hobbyists who want to stop buying ready-to-fly drones and start building their own
  • Educators who want hands-on drone skills for their classroom or robotics club
  • No experience needed. If you've never held a soldering iron, you'll learn here.


What's included

  • Full drone build kit: frame, motors, ESC, flight controller, receiver and props
  • Use of soldering stations, tools, batteries, chargers and safety gear
  • Flight simulator session before your first live flight
  • Expert facilitation from AlgoAtWork's drone systems team
  • Certificate of participation


Why AlgoAtWork

AlgoAtWork Robotics Academy is a hardware-first talent development hub delivering QCTO-accredited programmes in robotics, IoT, AI, drone systems, digital fabrication and ethical hacking. We teach the way engineers actually learn: hands on the hardware, building real things that work.

Schools, companies and funders can book this course as a private group session, a training programme or part of a longer skills development pathway. Get in touch to tailor it.


Good to know

  • Wear closed shoes and comfortable clothes part of the day is outdoors
  • Safety goggles are provided and required at the soldering benches
  • Under-18s need a signed parent or guardian consent form on the day
  • Flying takes place in a controlled, netted or marked flying zone under facilitator supervision


Venue Location

AlgoAtWork, 50 Richards Drive, Halfway House

Reviews

What about dinner before the show?

Find the Best of South Africa

Get our expert guides and smart Alerts for SA's top restaurants, events and services. Stop hunting, start finding