How Drones Are Changing Aviation

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced in April he wanted 25 percent of all passenger trips in the city to be done by driverless vehicles in 2030. With that in mind, Dubai already has had the box-shaped driverless EZ10, built by France's EasyMile, cruise nearby the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.

In October, Dubai signed a deal with Los Angeles-based Hyperloop One to study the potential for building a hyperloop line between it and Abu Dhabi, the Emirati capital.

Soon driverless will be in the skies of Dubai too with a passenger-carrying drone by July 2017. The arrival of the Chinese-made EHang 184 — which already has had its flying debut over Dubai's iconic, sail-shaped Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel.

The driverless drone can carry a passenger weighing up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and a small suitcase. After strapping into its race-car-style seat, the craft's sole passenger selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.

The drone, which has a battery allowing for a half-hour flight time and a range of up to 50 kilometers (31 miles), will be monitored remotely by a control room on the ground. It has a top speed of 160 kph (100 mph), but authorities say it will be operated typically at 100 kph (62 mph).

The Dubai Road and Transportation Agency issued a recent statement saying the drone had been examined by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and was controlled through 4G mobile internet. The agency did not immediately respond to further questions from The Associated Press.

The United Arab Emirates already requires drone hobbyists to register their aircraft. However, drone intrusions at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, has seen it shut down for hours at a time in recent months.

The drone may be a techno curiosity for now but Dubai — the commercial capital of the oil-rich UAE and home to the long-haul carrier Emirates — has bold visions for the future and the EHang 184 fits right into its plans.

With Amazon already testing drone delivery and plans on deploying zeppelin airborne fulfillment centers over cities dispatching drones to deliver packages, drones will be increasing air traffic over cities while decreasing traffic on the roads.

More and more military missions are now being flown by unmanned drones and there are talks of fighter jets with no pilots.

There are obviously challenges with flooding the skies with drones, from hackers to simple failures and the relative safety implications... I guess people will transit from walking down the street with their eyes looking down on their phones to looking up at the drones in the sky...

Fabrizio Poli is Managing Partner of Aircraft Trading Company Tyrus Wings. He is also an accomplished Airline Transport Pilot having flown both private Jets and for the airlines. Fabrizio is also a bestselling author and inspirational speaker & has been featured on Russia Today (RT), TRT World, Social Media Examiner, Bloomberg, Channel 5, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph, City Wealth Magazine, Billionaire.com, Wealth X, Financial Times, El Financiero and many other Media offering insight on the aviation world. Fabrizio is also regularly featured as an Aviation Analyst on Russia Today (RT) and TRT World. Fabrizio is also aviation special correspondent for luxury magazine, Most Fabullous Magazine. Fabrizio is also considered one of the world's top 30 experts in using Linkedin for business. You can tune in weekly to Fabrizio's business Podcast Living Outside the Cube available both in video & audio. You can also follow Fabrizio's aviation videos on Tyrus Wings TV. Fabrizio's latest book "Health4Flyers", the first natural-health book for pilots, flights attendants and frequent flyers is now available worldwide.