• 17 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Drone

A camera quadcopter from above, from the side and with the cover off, and the controller that flies it.

Parts of a Drone

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Propellers
  2. Motors
  3. Arms
  4. Frame
  5. Status indicator
  6. Camera
  7. Gimbal
  8. Vision system
  9. Antennas
  10. Power button
  11. Flight controller
  12. Electronic speed controllers
  13. GPS module
  14. Receiver
  15. Battery
  16. Control sticks
  17. Device holder

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: a helicopter, one big rotor in place of four

All 17 parts on the diagram

Show the list

The aircraft 10

  1. Propellers A quadcopter has four. Two turn clockwise and two turn the other way.
  2. Motors The aircraft steers by speeding up some motors and slowing down others.
  3. Arms On many small drones the arms fold in for carrying.
  4. Frame It is also called the fuselage.
  5. Status indicator Shows how the flight control system and the battery are doing. It does this by its color and blinking.
  6. Camera On this aircraft it hangs under the nose, held by the gimbal.
  7. Gimbal It keeps the camera stable while the aircraft moves. It also tilts the camera up and down.
  8. Vision system Helps the aircraft work out where it is and hover in place.
  9. Antennas Control signals and video pass through them.
  10. Power button The controller has a power button of its own.

Inside and the controller 7

  1. Flight controller It is often called the brain of the drone, or the autopilot.
  2. Electronic speed controllers Each turns a flight controller signal into motor power. It gives its motor the right amount.
  3. GPS module Many modules hold a compass as well.
  4. Receiver The controller in the pilot's hands is the transmitter.
  5. Battery Most drone batteries are lithium-polymer batteries.
  6. Control sticks Pushing them tells the aircraft which way to move.
  7. Device holder The phone runs the flying app.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two sources use it: (1) DJI Mini 2 User Manual v1.4, Aircraft Diagram and Remote Controller Diagram, https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/DJI_Mini_2/20210630/DJI_Mini_2_User_Manual-EN.pdf; (2) Ryze Tello User Manual v1.4, Aircraft Diagram, https://dl-cdn.ryzerobotics.com/downloads/Tello/Tello%20User%20Manual%20v1.4.pdf; (3) Parrot ANAFI User Guide, https://www.parrot.com/assets/s3fs-public/2021-09/anafi-user-guide.pdf; (4) ArduPilot Copter documentation, What You Need to Build a MultiCopter and How Multicopters Work, https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/what-you-need.html; (5) PX4 User Guide, Basic Concepts, https://docs.px4.io/main/en/getting_started/px4_basic_concepts.html; (6) Wikipedia, text only: Quadcopter, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Electronic speed control. No maker is named or drawn on the page. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's aircraft, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a drone, or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), on one small camera quadcopter: outside from above and from the side, inside with the cover off, and the remote controller in the pilot's hands.

Read the full guide

From the propellers to the sticks

Numbers 1 to 5 are the aircraft from above: the propellers, the motors, the arms, the frame and the status indicator. Numbers 6 to 10 are on the side view: the camera on its gimbal, the vision system, the antennas and the power button. Numbers 11 to 15 are under the cover: the flight controller, an electronic speed controller for each motor, the GPS module, the receiver and the battery. Numbers 16 and 17 are on the controller: the control sticks and the device holder.

  • Follow the chain of command: sticks, receiver, flight controller, speed controllers, motors, propellers.
  • A quadcopter moves by changing how fast each of its four motors turns.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a drone?

A frame with arms, a motor and a propeller on each arm, a battery, a flight controller, electronic speed controllers, a GPS module and a receiver. A camera drone adds a camera on a gimbal, and the pilot holds a remote controller.

What does the flight controller do on a drone?

It is the on-board computer, often called the autopilot or the brain of the drone. It uses its sensors and the pilot's commands to tell each speed controller how much power its motor needs, which keeps the aircraft stable.

What does an ESC do on a drone?

ESC stands for electronic speed controller. It takes a signal from the flight controller and delivers the right amount of power to a motor. The quadcopter drawn here has one for each of its four motors.

Is a UAV the same as a drone?

Yes. UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicle, and drone is the everyday word for one. UAS, unmanned aerial system, usually means the aircraft together with its controller and the other equipment used to fly it.

More quizzes

Show 6 more

Browse Science Quizzes