Conversation

During the middle to late 1960s, TV writers were already imagining the applications of small drones, most of which would not be possible for another half century or so.

In an episode of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." a small drone is launched at the U.N.C.L.E. headquarters building in NYC. When their defensive systems detect it slowly approaching, a general alarm goes up, for fear of small but very powerful warheads. They try to laser it down -- but the laser system fails (why it fails is an important aspect of the plot). The drone slams into the HQ roof area harmlessly, and a surprising note is found when the wreckage is inspected. This particular drone scene pretty much could have been real at the time -- it was a small single-prop fixed-wing model plane with a gasoline engine and radio control equipment appropriate for the era.

In an episode of "Mission Impossible", a small drone is navigated -- using a completely reasonable two joystick remote -- through an air conditioning duct to make a crucial delivery. It didn't have a camera, but its position was tracked on a map of the duct system visible to operator Barney. It was actually a bit more like a hovercraft, with four props on the bottom, but a great idea.

"The Green Hornet" had his own drone that would pop out of the back of his "Black Beauty" vehicle and fly into the air. This was used in multiple episodes. It spun like a top and featured a camera that sent an image back to a monitor on his dashboard. After it had provided the aerial view necessary, it returned to the car and popped back into the trunk area.

Pretty clever those writers, eh?