So, WHAT is a Drone, anyway?
simply put...an aircraft without a human pilot aboard
Also known as:
a UAV (unmanned aerial),
a UAS (unmanned aircraft system).
an RPA (remote-piloted aircraft)
A drone can be flown and controlled by a human operator or by computers.
.
a UAV (unmanned aerial),
a UAS (unmanned aircraft system).
an RPA (remote-piloted aircraft)
A drone can be flown and controlled by a human operator or by computers.
.
Initially used by the military, drones were deployed for missions
that were considered too "dull, dirty, or dangerous" for humans.
Civilian drones now vastly outnumber military drones,
with estimates of over a million sold by 2015.
Drone applications have expanded
and are used in civilian, civic, and commercial applications such as
arial photography, commercial and motion picture filmmaking, journalism, law enforcement, search and rescue, scientific research, weather monitoring, firefighting, conservation, anti-poaching, surveying, mapping, pollution monitoring, industrial exploration and production, disaster relief, archeology, cargo transport, traffic monitoring, agriculture, and more.
Often similar to a tiny helicopter, drones may have more than one rotor blade as follows:
Helirotor — 1 set of rotor blades
Dualrotor — 2 sets of rotor blades
Trirotor — 3 sets of rotor blades
Quadrotor — 4 sets of rotor blades
Pentirotor — 5 sets of rotor blades
Hexirotor — 6 sets of rotor blades
Octorotor — 8 sets of rotor blades
The quadrotor and octorotor drones are the most common of all the RPAs.
that were considered too "dull, dirty, or dangerous" for humans.
Civilian drones now vastly outnumber military drones,
with estimates of over a million sold by 2015.
Drone applications have expanded
and are used in civilian, civic, and commercial applications such as
arial photography, commercial and motion picture filmmaking, journalism, law enforcement, search and rescue, scientific research, weather monitoring, firefighting, conservation, anti-poaching, surveying, mapping, pollution monitoring, industrial exploration and production, disaster relief, archeology, cargo transport, traffic monitoring, agriculture, and more.
Often similar to a tiny helicopter, drones may have more than one rotor blade as follows:
Helirotor — 1 set of rotor blades
Dualrotor — 2 sets of rotor blades
Trirotor — 3 sets of rotor blades
Quadrotor — 4 sets of rotor blades
Pentirotor — 5 sets of rotor blades
Hexirotor — 6 sets of rotor blades
Octorotor — 8 sets of rotor blades
The quadrotor and octorotor drones are the most common of all the RPAs.
Would you like to learn to fly a drone?
or develop a career flying drones?
Some universities offer research and training programs or degrees
To operate a drone for non-recreational purposes in the US,
the FAA requires operators to obtain a
Certificate of Authorization.
Registration:
All hobby type UAV's between 250 grams and 25 kilograms
need to be registered with the FAA.
Eligible owners must register their UAV's prior to flight.
If the owner is less than 13 years old, a parent or other responsible person must do the FAA registration.
UAV's must be marked with the FAA-issued registration number.
The registration fee is $5.
The registration is good for 3 years and can be renewed for an additional 3 years at the $5 rate.
A single registration applies to all UAVs owned by an individual.
Failure to register can result in civil penalties of up to $27,500
and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
Commercial Regulation:
For commercial use, the FAA requires operators to submit an
application for an exemption.
Operators of commercial UAVs between 0.55 and 55 pounds including payload
must acquire a Remote Pilot in Command Certification
and keep it present at all operations of the UAV.
Remote Pilot in Command Certification is available to any citizen at least 16 year old.
The Certification is obtained by passing a written text and submitting an application.
For those holding a sport pilot license or higher, and with a current flight review,
a rule-specific exam can be taken at no charge online at the faasafety.gov website.
Other applicants must take a more comprehensive examination at an aeronautical testing center.
All licensees are required to take a review course every two years.
Applications may be submitted when the system begins operation on 29 August 2016.
At this time no ratings for heavier UAS are available.
The leading civil UAV companies in 2014 were:
DJI with $500m global sales (Chinese),
Parrot with $110m (French) and
3DRobotics with $21.6m in 2014.(American)
As of February 2016, about 325,000 civilian drones were registered with the U.S. FAA ( Federal Aviation Administration),
though it is estimated more than a million have been sold in the United States alone.
or develop a career flying drones?
Some universities offer research and training programs or degrees
To operate a drone for non-recreational purposes in the US,
the FAA requires operators to obtain a
Certificate of Authorization.
Registration:
All hobby type UAV's between 250 grams and 25 kilograms
need to be registered with the FAA.
Eligible owners must register their UAV's prior to flight.
If the owner is less than 13 years old, a parent or other responsible person must do the FAA registration.
UAV's must be marked with the FAA-issued registration number.
The registration fee is $5.
The registration is good for 3 years and can be renewed for an additional 3 years at the $5 rate.
A single registration applies to all UAVs owned by an individual.
Failure to register can result in civil penalties of up to $27,500
and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
Commercial Regulation:
For commercial use, the FAA requires operators to submit an
application for an exemption.
Operators of commercial UAVs between 0.55 and 55 pounds including payload
must acquire a Remote Pilot in Command Certification
and keep it present at all operations of the UAV.
Remote Pilot in Command Certification is available to any citizen at least 16 year old.
The Certification is obtained by passing a written text and submitting an application.
For those holding a sport pilot license or higher, and with a current flight review,
a rule-specific exam can be taken at no charge online at the faasafety.gov website.
Other applicants must take a more comprehensive examination at an aeronautical testing center.
All licensees are required to take a review course every two years.
Applications may be submitted when the system begins operation on 29 August 2016.
At this time no ratings for heavier UAS are available.
The leading civil UAV companies in 2014 were:
DJI with $500m global sales (Chinese),
Parrot with $110m (French) and
3DRobotics with $21.6m in 2014.(American)
As of February 2016, about 325,000 civilian drones were registered with the U.S. FAA ( Federal Aviation Administration),
though it is estimated more than a million have been sold in the United States alone.
Drone Intro Learn more about Drones.
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Drone Meet-UpMeet real-life drone operators
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Drone Videos
See drone video footage and browse video profiles of real-life drone operators.
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Coding SchoolGet trained to operate a drone.
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Drone Fun Facts
Drones appeared in the following films:
Toys (1992) - child soldiers train to fly UAVs.
Stealth (2005) - a sci-fi action film with a central character that was a UCAV artificial intelligence called EDI
Eagle Eye (2008) - a rogue supercomputer controls a drone in the film
Four Lions (2010) - would-be terrorists are targeted by and attempt to shoot down a drone
The Bourne Legacy (2012) - a predator drone pursues the main characters.
Hummingbird (2013) (British) - involves the possibility of a drone taking out the main character
Ennui Ennui (2013) (Portuguese short film) - a self-aware baby-drone sent to Afghanistan to kill a future local warlord
Good Kill - features the life of a drone pilot
Body of Lies (2008) - the CIA uses drones for surveillance of the main character in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria.
Drones appeared in the following TV shows:
Castle (2013) - included a drone hacked by terrorists
24: Live Another Day - the ninth season includes drones used by terrorists
Drones in Video Games:
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001–)
Battlefield (2002–)
Call of Duty (2003–)
F.E.A.R. (2005)
inFamous (2009)
Drones appeared in the following films:
Toys (1992) - child soldiers train to fly UAVs.
Stealth (2005) - a sci-fi action film with a central character that was a UCAV artificial intelligence called EDI
Eagle Eye (2008) - a rogue supercomputer controls a drone in the film
Four Lions (2010) - would-be terrorists are targeted by and attempt to shoot down a drone
The Bourne Legacy (2012) - a predator drone pursues the main characters.
Hummingbird (2013) (British) - involves the possibility of a drone taking out the main character
Ennui Ennui (2013) (Portuguese short film) - a self-aware baby-drone sent to Afghanistan to kill a future local warlord
Good Kill - features the life of a drone pilot
Body of Lies (2008) - the CIA uses drones for surveillance of the main character in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria.
Drones appeared in the following TV shows:
Castle (2013) - included a drone hacked by terrorists
24: Live Another Day - the ninth season includes drones used by terrorists
Drones in Video Games:
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001–)
Battlefield (2002–)
Call of Duty (2003–)
F.E.A.R. (2005)
inFamous (2009)