The decade from 2010 to 2019 saw some remarkably ambitious initiatives in all realms of aviation. While some, like the creation of the Gulfstream G650 ultra long-range jet, were spectacular successes, others, like the saga of the Solar Impulse global giants, were less so. Still, they reminded us that great accomplishments come only after overcoming great obstacles, which makes the successes all the sweeter.
5. Drones
The remotely or autonomously piloted aircraft known colloquially as âdronesâ had a huge impact on aviation and the world in the 2010s, but our advice: Hold on to your hats because you ainât seen nothinâ yet. The promise of drones is that they might automate dozens if not hundreds of flying activities that are today, or at least in recent memory, done by planes flown by human pilots. Today drones are doing pipeline patrol, wind turbine blade inspections, power line checks and aerial photography as weâve never seen it before. There have been early forays into package delivery, too. The FAA struggled over the course of the decade to get its arms around the drone issue, with abortive attempts at registration of pilots and drone aircraft that failed to comprehend the magnitude of the new segment.
Subscribe today to Plane & Pilot magazine for industry news, reviews and much more delivered straight to you!