9781422275146

Chapter 1

WHAT DO DRONE PILOTS DO? ALL ABOUT DRONES What’s that in the sky!? It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a drone! Drones are everywhere these days, but what are they, and how are people using them? Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that are made of lightweight composite materials that reduce weight and increase maneuverability. They can be

equipped with a variety of additional equipment such as cameras, a Global Positioning System (GPS) ,

The U.S. government’s Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle.

GPS-guided missiles, navigation systems, sensors, and so on.

Drones come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Some are smaller than a computer

Introduction: What Do Drone Pilots Do? 11