Modern aviation and drones
Fly people and goods with the safety of today's airlines, fly drones within the rules, and cut aviation's emissions.
Everything for this step
- Field guide
- Flight → 8 sections
- Builds
- None yet.
- Reference sheets
- 3 sheets on this page ↓ · 5 sheets in Flight
- Sciences it rests on
- Engineering · Computer science · Physics
- Track
- In the air, level 6 of 6
Why this matters
In 2024 the world's airlines flew 40.6 million flights with one accident for every 880,000 (1.13 per million) and 244 people killed aboard (IATA). Safety of that order comes from rules, training, maintenance and the independent investigation of every accident, not from any one machine; and the same discipline now has to reach drones, which anyone can buy.
The shape of it
- Investigate every accident to prevent the next, not to blame.
- Fly drones within the rules: weight, height, sight and distance from people.
- Electric aircraft where the flight is short.
- Sustainable fuel blended into jet fuel within the standard.
Small drones: where they may fly
Fig 1
Earth / subsoilMasonry / brick
Doing it, step by step
The summary above says what has to happen. This says how, with the numbers that decide whether it works.
1 — How airliners got this safe
- Every accident is investigated by a body independent of the airline and the regulator, to find what caused it and stop it happening again, not to blame (the principle of ICAO's Annex 13). The report on the 2016 balloon accident in Texas is one example (NTSB).
- Every incident is reported, so problems are fixed before they kill.
- Aircraft, engines and parts are certified, maintained to a schedule, and every repair recorded.
- Crews train in simulators for failures they will rarely see, and check each other.
✓ Check: Every incident, however small, is reported, and each report leads to a recorded decision.
2 — Drones and the rules
- EU open category: under 25 kg, kept in visual line of sight, no higher than 120 m; in subcategory A2 at least 30 m horizontally from people not involved (5 m in low-speed mode), in A3 at least 150 m from residential, commercial and recreational areas (EASA).
- United States, Part 107: under 55 lb, in sight, no higher than 400 ft, and flown by a pilot who has passed the knowledge test (FAA).
- Everywhere: never near airports, over crowds, or near emergency operations.
✓ Check: The drone is within its category's weight, flown in sight, below the ceiling, clear of people as the rules require, and registered where required.
3 — Electric aircraft
- The Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seat trainer, became the first electric aeroplane to be type-certified, by EASA on 10 June 2020; it flies for about 50 minutes plus reserve (General Aviation News).
- The limit is energy per kilogram: jet fuel holds about 12 kWh per kg; lithium-ion cells about 0.25 kWh per kg, some fifty times less. Electric flight suits short hops and training circuits first.
✓ Check: An electric aircraft's planned flight, with its reserve, fits its battery's usable energy at the day's temperature.
4 — Sustainable aviation fuel
Fuel made from waste oils, fats or plants can be blended into jet fuel: the standard (ASTM D7566) allows up to 50 %, and the blend must then pass the ordinary jet-fuel standard before it is used (US DOE). It burns in today's engines, which is why it is the nearest cut to aviation's emissions.
✓ Check: Every batch of blended fuel is certified to the jet-fuel standard before use.
What it looks like
Reference sheets
One drawn sheet covering the whole subject at once — the breadth a photograph cannot give, bought at the cost of accuracy. Read them for range and vocabulary, never as the thing you identify from.
How this fails
A drone flown out of sight, over a crowd, or near an airport.
An accident investigated to find someone to blame instead of the cause.
Batteries or fuels used outside the standard the aircraft was certified for.
How you know it worked
VerificationDrones are flown within their category's weight, height, sight and distance rules; every accident and incident is reported and investigated; fuels and batteries are to the aircraft's certified standard.