Ask any teacher who has run a coding lesson and they will tell you the same thing: the hardest part is helping students see why it matters. Loops, variables and conditionals can feel like abstract puzzles when the result is a colour change on a screen. The MakeKit Air:bit 2 – micro:bit Drone Kit solves that problem in the most direct way possible. Your students build a real quadcopter, write the code that controls it, and then watch it take to the air.
It's the original micro:bit drone, and it turns a coding lesson into something your class will still be talking about weeks later. Here are five reasons it earns a place in your STEAM program.
1. Students build the drone themselves
The Air:bit 2 is a genuine construction kit. Students assemble the frame, wire the electronics and prepare the flight-control board before a single line of code is written. That build process teaches patience, careful assembly and how the physical components fit together, and it gives students real ownership of the finished drone. It's their aircraft, not a toy handed to them.
2. Three real programming languages
Learners code in Microsoft MakeCode, JavaScript or Python, moving from beginner blocks all the way to advanced flight algorithms. This range is a gift for mixed-ability classes: your beginners can start with drag-and-drop blocks while your more confident coders write text-based programs. Because it spans three languages, the Air:bit 2 keeps challenging students as their skills grow, rather than being outgrown in a term.
3. Code that connects to real flight
This is where the Air:bit 2 shines. The moment a student's code lifts the drone off the ground, abstract programming becomes tangible. They can see, immediately, whether their logic works. Along the way they practise computational thinking and get hands-on with motors, sensors, battery technology and the aerodynamics of how a quadcopter actually flies. It's cross-curricular STEAM in a single project.
4. Built for the knocks of a busy classroom
Practical teachers will appreciate the details. The Air:bit 2 uses laser-cut, repairable birch parts, designed and made in Norway from sustainable materials, so it stands up to plenty of crash landings and can be fixed rather than replaced. The battery charges in under an hour, which means your whole class can get flight time within a single lesson instead of waiting around. Less downtime, less frustration, more learning.
5. One control board, many builds
The value doesn't stop when the drone lands. The same WonderKit control board can later be rebuilt into a hovercraft or a robot car, so a single purchase supports coding, robotics and design units across the year. For schools watching budgets, that flexibility makes the Air:bit 2 a genuinely smart investment.
Ready to get your class flying?
Suitable from around age 11 (upper primary and secondary), the Air:bit 2 is a hands-on, sustainable and endlessly reusable way to teach coding through real flight.
A quick note for planning: BBC micro:bits are sold separately. Two are recommended per drone (one micro:bit V2 inside the drone and one as a controller), or students can fly it using the free iPad or Android app.
As an Australian, family-owned business run by teachers, Sammat Education makes it easy for schools, TAFEs and government institutions to order on account. Choose Purchase Order at checkout, or request a quote for a class set.