ABSTRACT
The history of remotely piloted flight (RPA) can be traced back to human’s earliest experiments with aviation, including a self-propelled flying bird device developed by Archytas around 425 bce, and the use of kites by the Chinese around 180 ce. Autonomous aircraft are those that can operate without pilot inputs. These can be thought of as self-piloting aircraft. A RPA, or drone, is an aircraft with no human on board, which is controlled from a remote pilot station by a remote pilot-in-command who manipulates the flight controls. The term aircraft describes a wide variety of devices capable of flight. If an aircraft is intended to be flown with no pilot on board it is an unmanned aircraft. RPA operations vary based on whether they are conducted domestically or internationally. Domestically, as RPA technology matures, it is unlikely that all piloted flights will become obsolete. However, RPAs may begin to dominate some sectors within general aviation.
