A few years ago, it felt like drones were this close to taking over your doorstep. Every headline promised that packages would soon be dropped in your backyard within minutes. Then...radio silence.

So what happened?

In his recent video, creator Marques Brownlee breaks it down: the hype around drone deliveries may have outpaced reality, but that doesn’t mean the innovation has stopped. In fact, Google’s Wing and companies like Amazon have quietly been investing millions into unmanned delivery systems—especially for rural, hard-to-reach, or high-urgency areas where traditional transportation falls short.

For educators, this presents an important opportunity. Global supply chain and logistics are high-demand career areas and, with classroom-ready tools like CoDrone EDU, students can begin building the skills that employers are investing in right now.

What Drone Delivery Looks Like Today

While drone delivery might not yet be the norm in major cities, it’s already happening in smaller communities and specialized sectors—and the results are impressive.

Since starting drone delivery in 2022, Amazon Prime Air now delivers prescription medications in to customers in College Station, Texas, and all kinds of goods under five pounds in less than an hour to customers in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area. In Florida, Ben Sondgeroth, a Robolink Ambassador and host of our March 2025 webinar, witnessed this firsthand.

Drone fleets are also being used in warehouse environments to scan barcodes, track inventory in real time, and reduce the need for scaffolding or forklifts.

The key takeaway? Drone logistics is already transforming the way we deliver, restock, and respond to emergencies and everyday logistics – and the infrastructure is still growing.

Careers in Drone Logistics Are Taking Off

The drone services market is booming. According to analysts, it’s projected to grow to $63.6 billion by 2028, driven by investments in last-mile delivery, agriculture, inspection services, and data collection. Logistics and delivery-focused drone operators are one of the fastest-growing job segments in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry.

Salaries reflect that demand. Skilled drone pilots—especially those who specialize in logistics, surveying, or technical operations—can earn between $50,000 and $100,000 or more per year, depending on their certification level and industry.

Major employers like Amazon Prime Air, Google Wing, and UPS Flight Forward are actively building out teams and hiring for specialized roles, including:

• UAS Operations Coordinators, who plan and manage daily drone logistics routes.
  

• Drone Delivery Pilots, who oversee autonomous and manual flight missions.
  

• Aerial Data Analysts, who interpret flight data and optimize delivery systems.
  

• Fleet Maintenance Technicians, who inspect, repair, and update drone hardware.
  
  

How Students Can Start Now—in Class

Robolink’s Basecamp curriculum library includes standards-aligned lesson plans that are perfect for simulating real-world drone deliveries. Using both Blockly and Python, students learn how to program CoDrone EDU’s bottom range sensor to measure the distance to a surface beneath the drone—just like drones must do when delivering packages or scanning inventory. Then, they can unlock the drone's front range sensors to help it detect objects in front of it. 

Logistics and Supply-Chain Aligned Basecamp Lessons:

• 3.5: Bottom Range Sensor (Blockly)
• 3.5: Bottom Range Sensor (Python)
• 3.6: Front Range Sensor (Blockly)
• 3.6: Front Range Sensor (Python)

After mastering these skills, students can complete all kinds of challenges:

• Use loops to explore repeating routes in a warehouse setting
  

• Simulate other logistics scenarios, such as delivering medicine across a disaster zone
  

• Code autonomous “last-mile” delivery routes with Blockly or Python. (Advanced tip: Have students use color sensors to check whether it has successfully landed in a customer’s "yard".)

From Basecamp lessons to more CoDrone EDU missions teachers develop from there, these hands-on activities introduce students to principles of flight, physics, engineering, systems thinking, and the problem-solving mindset needed in real logistics careers.

The Big Picture

Even if your next toothbrush doesn’t arrive by air, drone-powered logistics is real—and rapidly expanding. According to experts like Beth Green, Program Director of Advanced Career Initiatives for the Southern Regional Education Board, global logistics and supply chain management are huge needs across the country, regardless of if you're in a frural community or an urban one. 

With CoDrone EDU, educators have the tools to help students explore one of the most exciting STEM career paths for today – and tomorrow.