Now that you have learned about what you will do in the Capstone Mission, you are ready to get started! You will follow a process similar to the one you used to complete the challenge mission in Unit 7. You'll begin by developing your flight plan, then practice your approach and refine your strategy based on what you learn. Finally, you'll take to the air, balancing speed and precision to score as many points as possible in this timed challenge.
Capstone Mission
Mission Goal: Score as many points as possible in a four-minute timed challenge in the Competition layout in the VEX AIR Flight Simulator. You must score at least once using the Magnet Module, and once using the Motorized Hook Module.
This mission will take planning and practice to complete. You will follow a multi-step process to help guide you through the challenge. Be sure to take your time through each phase of the process. All phases of the process are included in the Mission Log.
Use the Mission Log to record your progress through the challenge.
Google Doc / .docx / .pdf
Mission Goal: Score as many points as possible in a four-minute timed challenge in the Competition layout in the VEX AIR Flight Simulator. You must score at least once using the Magnet Module, and once using the Motorized Hook Module.
This mission will take planning and practice to complete. You will follow a multi-step process to help guide you through the challenge. Be sure to take your time through each phase of the process. All phases of the process are included in the Mission Log.
Use the Mission Log to record your progress through the challenge.
Google Doc / .docx / .pdf
All four phases are included in the Mission Log (Google doc / .docx / .pdf). Distribute the Mission Log to students at the start of the challenge.
- If using printed Mission Logs, you may want to have extra copies readily available for students to use throughout the mission, as they are documenting their plans and practice.
Be sure that all students have ample time for planning, practicing, and refining their flight plans for the mission. Help students to remain engaged in the challenge by celebrating small successes along the way.
You can adapt the challenge as needed to best suit the needs of your students. For example, if you find that a four minute time constraint is too challenging for your students, raise it to five or six minutes. You may also want to provide students with the opportunity to “officially” fly the Capstone Mission several times, and take their best score. The Capstone is meant to give students an experience where they can show what they have learned and be proud of it, without undue frustration.
Phase 1: Develop a Flight Plan
Creating a flight plan is essential to success in the Capstone Mission. While there is no one “right” way to complete the mission, it is important to think through different options for how you will approach scoring using each module. You will need to determine which combination of scoring tasks allow you to fly with the speed and precision needed to score the most points.
Use the Phase 1 section of the Mission Log to document your flight plan.
- Your flight plan should describe the path you intend to fly. This plan includes things like where the drone will fly, the module used, the order in which you will pick up and deliver objects, and the maneuvers needed to complete the path.
- Use the legend in the Mission Log for reference to help you communicate your plan.
- Document your decisions and why you chose that approach. Explain why you chose this path to try first and what advantages you think it gives you in the mission.
Pro Tip: Look back at your Mission Logs to get data about flying with different modules, and use that data to inform your decisions about your plan.
Check in with your instructor to share your flight plan before moving on to the next phase.
Creating a flight plan is essential to success in the Capstone Mission. While there is no one “right” way to complete the mission, it is important to think through different options for how you will approach scoring using each module. You will need to determine which combination of scoring tasks allow you to fly with the speed and precision needed to score the most points.
Use the Phase 1 section of the Mission Log to document your flight plan.
- Your flight plan should describe the path you intend to fly. This plan includes things like where the drone will fly, the module used, the order in which you will pick up and deliver objects, and the maneuvers needed to complete the path.
- Use the legend in the Mission Log for reference to help you communicate your plan.
- Document your decisions and why you chose that approach. Explain why you chose this path to try first and what advantages you think it gives you in the mission.
Pro Tip: Look back at your Mission Logs to get data about flying with different modules, and use that data to inform your decisions about your plan.
Check in with your instructor to share your flight plan before moving on to the next phase.
Throughout the Capstone Mission, you will guide students to follow a process similar to that in the previous open-ended challenge mission (Unit 7). Your role is to facilitate students' development, testing, and execution of a viable flight plan for the mission. The goal of this phase is for students to stop and consider options before they attempt to fly the mission.
Introduce this phase by demonstrating how to identify and evaluate one or two possible options together as a whole class. With everyone looking at the field together, talk through one possible flight plan that uses both modules. Model thinking through the time it could take to do each task and the amount of points the task would score. Help students to think strategically about the relationship between precision needed, speed, and number of points as they develop their plans.
Ask questions like:
- What are some different ways you could start your run, and what are the pros and cons of each?
- Where might you lose time during your flight, and how can your plan prevent that?
- What is your “backup plan” if something doesn’t go as expected (missed pickup, dropped cargo, bad alignment)?
- What does an efficient flight path look like on this field (smooth turns, fewer stops, fewer extra movements)?
This can help students to develop a solid starting plan they can practice and refine in the next phases.
Students should check in with you to share their flight plan before moving on to practicing.
Phase 2: Practice Your Plan
Once your initial plan is ready, it is time to test it. Practice your plan to determine what adjustments can be made to optimize your ability to score points.
Practice flying your flight plan and record your flights in the Phase 2 section of the Mission Log.
- Document the same way you have in previous missions in this course. Note things you want to change in your plan.
- Record any changes made to the plan as you practice.
- Practice multiple times so you can evaluate how effective your flight plan is in the next phase.
Check in with your instructor after you have completed and documented at least five practice flights and are ready to move on to the next phase.
Once your initial plan is ready, it is time to test it. Practice your plan to determine what adjustments can be made to optimize your ability to score points.
Practice flying your flight plan and record your flights in the Phase 2 section of the Mission Log.
- Document the same way you have in previous missions in this course. Note things you want to change in your plan.
- Record any changes made to the plan as you practice.
- Practice multiple times so you can evaluate how effective your flight plan is in the next phase.
Check in with your instructor after you have completed and documented at least five practice flights and are ready to move on to the next phase.
This phase should feel like the other missions in this course. The goal here is that students take time to practice flying their intended flight plan so they can collect data and evaluate its success.
Remind students to take turns after each practice flight. This gives each student the opportunity to reflect on their flight and document it in the Mission Log while another student practices, so all students remain engaged throughout the challenge.
As students are flying, talk with them about their progress. Ask questions like:
- How effective is your plan? How do you know?
- Now that you have tried your plan, what are some ways you might improve it?
- At what point in your flight do you plan to switch modules? Why?
- How are you allocating time to each task? To each module?
Students should check in with you to share their practice and documentation before moving on to the next phase.
Phase 3: Refine your Flight Plan
Now that you have data and documentation about your performance from practicing, you are ready to refine and adjust your plan to optimize it for the Capstone Mission.
Use the Phase 3 section of the Mission Log to document your flight plan adjustments.
- Record any changes to the path based on practice. You can sketch or write a new route description based on your practice.
- Document why you are making those changes, and what data you used to inform your decisions.
- For example: Beginning my flight using the Motorized Hook Module helped me to score more points because…
- Remember that flight plan adjustments can include things like camera views, movement modes, or steering mode changes that make your plan more effective.
Check in with your instructor to share your refined flight plan before going back to practice your new flight plan or moving on to the Capstone Mission.
Now that you have data and documentation about your performance from practicing, you are ready to refine and adjust your plan to optimize it for the Capstone Mission.
Use the Phase 3 section of the Mission Log to document your flight plan adjustments.
- Record any changes to the path based on practice. You can sketch or write a new route description based on your practice.
- Document why you are making those changes, and what data you used to inform your decisions.
- For example: Beginning my flight using the Motorized Hook Module helped me to score more points because…
- Remember that flight plan adjustments can include things like camera views, movement modes, or steering mode changes that make your plan more effective.
Check in with your instructor to share your refined flight plan before going back to practice your new flight plan or moving on to the Capstone Mission.
Encourage students to think critically about their practice and to use their reflection notes to help them improve their flight plans. Students do not need to make big changes, but all students should document some type of refinement based on their practice.
The goal of this phase of the process is to help students use what they learned in practice to make data-based decisions to refine their plans. Talk with students during this phase, asking questions like:
- What was the biggest challenge you faced during your practice runs? How are you adjusting your flight plan to account for it?
- Which task in your plan is the highest risk (most likely to cause mistakes or slow you down)? How will you handle it?
- What is one measurable goal for your next practice flight? How is that documented in your refined plan?
Students should share their refined flight plan before moving on. They will likely need multiple practice rounds with their revised plan. Encourage them to cycle between Phases 2 and 3 as many times as needed before attempting the final Capstone Mission.
Phase 4: Fly the Capstone Mission
Now that you have created a plan, practiced, and refined your strategy, it is time to fly your Capstone Mission! Your goal is to score as many points as you can in a four-minute flight. You must score at least once using the Magnet Module and once using the Motorized Hook Module.
Follow your refined flight plan, and document each flight. Complete multiple attempts, focusing on incremental improvement each time.
Use the Phase 4 Section of the Mission Log to record your flights.
- Record each flight and note areas where you could improve speed or accuracy to score more points.
- Pay special attention to any problem areas, for example, areas where collisions may slow you down, or the difficulty in picking up an object outweighs the benefits of the points it could help you score.
Now that you have created a plan, practiced, and refined your strategy, it is time to fly your Capstone Mission! Your goal is to score as many points as you can in a four-minute flight. You must score at least once using the Magnet Module and once using the Motorized Hook Module.
Follow your refined flight plan, and document each flight. Complete multiple attempts, focusing on incremental improvement each time.
Use the Phase 4 Section of the Mission Log to record your flights.
- Record each flight and note areas where you could improve speed or accuracy to score more points.
- Pay special attention to any problem areas, for example, areas where collisions may slow you down, or the difficulty in picking up an object outweighs the benefits of the points it could help you score.
The goal is for students to apply their planning and preparation to their actual flights. Encourage students to reflect between attempts so they can document not only whether each flight was successful, but why, and how it connects to their flight plan.
Talk with students about how their flight planning and practice helped them be successful in the mission. Ask questions like:
- What is something you learned earlier in the course that helped you score more points in the Capstone Mission? How did you use it during your flight?
- How did your flight plan change from your first draft to your current plan? What made you decide to change it?
- What strategy helped you balance “big point” tasks with tasks you could complete quickly and/or consistently? Why did you choose that balance?
- How did planning ahead (instead of just flying) help you improve your piloting skills during the mission?
Regardless of how well students score in the Capstone Mission, encourage them to reflect on how their piloting skills have grown throughout the course. While there will always be room for improvement, this is a moment to celebrate success.
Select Next > to move on to the Course Wrap-Up.