It has become evident over the last few years that drones are becoming commonplace in airspace over many countries, but most people might only associate this with hobby drones.

However the commercial drones used in the public sphere are becoming more commonplace and in some arenas have superseded the conventional aerial platforms such as helicopters.

In UK airspace drones are being widely used in film making and increasingly so in law enforcement for missing persons, command and control and surveillance. Just go to any city especially with a large gathering such as at a football match and it will not be uncommon to see police drones hovering over the area.

Over the next few years there is likely to be an explosion of global use of commercial drones of large sizes and capabilities. Work is already in the making for light cargo transport such as medical supplies, small parcels and aerial surveying.

The question remains how long will it take before we see drones capable of moving greater numbers of people and large cargo? Perhaps a decade or so we will start to see functional use of eVTOL machines capable of carrying people and cargo in a commercial sense and not as just for personal use as is currently emerging.