

Lower-end, personal drones for entertainment can be purchased for less than $30, and even professional-level videography drones are becoming much more accessible and can be bought for hundreds of dollars opposed to thousands as they were just a handful of years ago. However, some surveillance drones are smaller than insects, and some of the larger ones could fit as many people as a small passenger jet, but that would disqualify them from being labeled a drone.
GTH DRONE DEFINITION TV
The typical drone that your cousin might have, or one that recorded the really cool aerial video footage from your favorite TV show probably looks a little bit like an extra-large insect with four horizontal propellers.

There are many subcategories, and they range from insect-size to passenger jet-size, but as long as an aircraft is powered and unmanned, it’s a drone by definition.Īny aircraft that has a propulsion system (e.g., battery, fuel… just no gliders) and does not carry humans is considered a drone, though the FAA often uses the terminology “UAS” which means an unmanned aerial system, and refers to the flying object, the pilot on the ground, and the means of communication between the two.Īs the definition of a drone is quite broad, it’s probably no surprise to hear that drones come in many different shapes and sizes. Some extremely small drones, often used for surveillance, utilize ornithopters, which are flapping-wing mechanisms making the drones appear to be insects to anyone not looking closely! Drone DefinitionĪ cut-and-dry drone definition is any powered aircraft with no humans onboard. Many drones possess an array of sensors to relay information to the person controlling the drone, including collision sensors to keep them from crashing. Most of the drones used in the commercial world are powered by lithium-polymer batteries and utilize a quadcopter mechanism (4 horizontal propellers) to stay in flight.
