During WWI, a daredevil pilot helped invent the first 'drones'

During WWI, a daredevil pilot helped invent the first'drones' Lawrence Sperry's autopilot proved planes could fly themselves. Lawrence Sperry was a pioneer, a showman, and inventor. Without him, flying today would look very different. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. On November 21, 1916, pilot and inventor Lawrence Sperry was flying over Long Island's Great South Bay with his student Dorothy Rice Pierce when his plane suddenly plunged into the water .