Alphabet’s Wing Aviation (https://medium.com/wing-aviation) inaugurates U.S. drone delivery. They are the first firm to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. To allow commercial delivery services later this year. Wing has already completed a similar pilot in Australia.

FAA approval is groundbreaking. For the first time FAA is granting air-carrier certification for drone deliveries. Concerns exist. Accuracy, air traffic control, noise abatement and safety.

That is one reason Wing is partnering with Mid-Atlantic Aviation and Virginia Tech University to address concerns and improve deliveries. As well as devise best practices. Per the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot program.( www.faa.gov).

What to Expect?

• Location: The Blacksburg metropolitan area.
• Autonomous Drones will:  Have a 3 foot wingspan. Weigh 11 pounds able to carry a payload of 3 pounds.  Fly under 400 feet powered by electricity.
• Daylight deliveries only.
• Certified pilots will operate these drones. Limiting the number of drones airborne at any one time.
• Drones will hover over predetermined location. With deliveries attached by lines and hooks.
• FAA approval opens up the door for others, such as, Amazon’s Prime Air (amazon.com) and UPS (www.ups.com) partnership with Matternet ( https://mttr.net) for medical deliveries.

What Do you Think?

Author Disclosure

I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I have no vested interest in any of these products, firms or institutions mentioned in this post. Nor does the Analyst Syndicate. This is not a sponsored post.