Definition
A pilotless aircraft flown by remote control or by an onboard automated flight system, used for military, commercial, scientific, or recreational purposes.
Plain English
An aircraft with no pilot on board. Someone controls it from the ground, or it flies itself by following a pre-programmed flight path.
Context Anchor
Seen in airspace rules, airport operations, traffic reports, and reports of objects operating near aircraft.
Derivation
From the Old English 'dran', meaning a male honeybee. Male bees do no work and simply fly around the hive, so the word came to describe something that flies without purpose or guidance from itself. It was applied to pilotless aircraft starting in the 1930s.
Why Pilots Care
Drones share the same airspace as manned aircraft, so pilots must remain alert for collision risks and follow detection-and-avoidance procedures.
Intuition Check
Drone does not only mean a small toy aircraft. In aviation, it means any aircraft flying without a person on board, from a small camera aircraft to a larger remotely operated aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot checked the NOTAMs and saw a drone operation was active within five miles of the practice area.
Example Sentence 2
Recreational drone operators must register their aircraft with the FAA before flying.