Drones Are Learning to Land Like Birds

Although our skies are now filled with quadcopter drones, fixed-wing aircraft have them beat in both speed and endurance; that's why the military's drones don't look like the ones you'd buy on Amazon. One of the biggest drawbacks with fixed-wing planes is that they tend to require a long runway for landing. However, drone makers are searching for a better way, and it turns out nature solved the problem millions of years ago. Now, we're trying to steal its secret. They can land on a dime by swooping in at low altitude then angling their wings upwards and spreading their feathers to act as air brakes.