On The Fly, Using drones for aircraft inspections

In a hangar outside of London, England, I’m witnessing something that, as a pilot, I hadn’t anticipated: a collaboration of drone and airliner. Recently returned from Reykjavik is Airbus A319 Fox Hotel for servicing; working autonomously around it is a heavily modified DJI Matrice. The former is a short-haul mainstay—designed, tested, and worked hard; the latter is here for the same treatment. Maintenance—Scheduled and Unscheduled Before every flight and service, pilots or engineers will walk...