Mighty Drones

A drone is a type of aircraft × aircraft DAVID ROWLAND/GETTY IMAGES a machine that flies through the air (noun) A helicopter is a type of aircraft. . Some drones are tiny. Others are the size of an airplane. But drones are very different from airplanes. For one thing, they don’t carry people. Here’s the scoop on drones.

Ready for Takeoff

Drones have propellers × propeller DAVID ROWLAND/GETTY IMAGES a device with blades that turn quickly and cause a vehicle to move (noun) Helicopters fly using propellers. . The propellers are like blades on a fan. They turn quickly. This lifts the drone up into the air. Zoom!

Ground Control

Drones can be flown by computers. They can also be flown by a person on the ground with a remote control.

Up, Up, and Away

Some drones fly high and far. They take off and land vertically × vertically MOMO PRODUCTIONS/GETTY IMAGES going straight up and down (adverb) Jeremy threw the ball vertically and caught it when it fell. . They can get to places that are hard to reach.

The View from Above

Drones can take pictures. They can also shoot videos. They can give us a bird’s-eye view × bird's-eye view ROBERT HACKEL/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES a view from above (noun) The airplane pilot had a bird's-eye view of the city below. of our world.

Did you know?

Drones can put on a show. They can light up and form an image in the sky. The image on the cover of this issue was made using lots of drones. What a sight!