Will self-flying planes transform the skies?
Wednesday, 2 September 2026
Warm-up
- What jobs could a plane do without a pilot?
- Would you trust a machine to land a plane? Why or why not?
- Where in your country might drones be most useful?
Vocabulary
- autonomous
- Able to operate by itself without direct human control.
- cockpit
- The space where a pilot normally sits and controls an aircraft.
- cargo
- Goods carried by a vehicle, ship, or aircraft.
- drift
- Slow movement away from the target area, pushed by wind or air.
- algorithm
- A set of rules a computer follows to solve a problem.
- regulatory
- Related to rules and approvals set by authorities.
- observer
- A person who watches an operation to ensure it is safe.
- wingspan
- The distance from the tip of one wing to the other.
Reading
Over an alfalfa field in California's San Joaquin Valley, a small autonomous crop-spraying plane flies low, reducing spray drift and chemical use. The aircraft belongs to Pyka, which builds self‑flying planes without a cockpit for spraying or carrying cargo. Its fully electric sprayer flies about 35 minutes, holds up to 300L, and has an 11.5m wingspan. Engineers map the field on a computer, an algorithm plans the route, and the plane takes off and lands by itself, then resumes spraying after a refill.
Autonomous flight goes beyond autopilot, which only assists. Progress has been slower than cars because aviation faces stricter safety standards and regulatory hurdles. In the US, Pyka's sprayer has authorisation but must stay in set farm areas with a ground operator and a visual observer. The firm also has aircraft working in Brazil and aims to scale production to 1,000 by 2030; each costs about $550,000.
UK firm Windracers seeks permission to run an autonomous cargo service in Shetland and Orkney, and its aircraft are also flying missions in Ukraine. Supporters say the technology could ease pilot shortages, remove people from risky tasks such as crop spraying, and improve efficiency.
Comprehension
- Which tasks are leading the use of self-flying planes?
- Where is Pyka's low-altitude crop-spraying test taking place?
- How long can Pyka's electric sprayer fly on one charge?
- What limits apply to Pyka's US approval?
- Which UK firm wants an autonomous cargo route, and where?
Grammar focus
Future perfect continuous
Use will have been + verb‑ing to show an action that will be continuing up to a specific future time. It emphasises duration before that future point. (Examples constructed.)
- If tests succeed, Pyka **will have been operating** in fields by 2030.
- If adopted widely, sprayers **will have been reducing** chemical use for years.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the future perfect continuous: will have been + -ing.
- Pyka (operate) ___ autonomously by 2030.
- Farms (use) ___ autonomous sprayers next season.
- The sprayer (spray) ___ fields for two hours by noon.
- By launch, engineers (map) ___ fields for months.
- Manufacturers (produce) ___ electric planes for years by then.
Discussion
- Would you ride in an autonomous plane? Why or why not?
- Which benefit matters more: safety, cost, or access to remote areas?
- What risks should regulators focus on first with these aircraft?
- How could farms in your country use this technology effectively?
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