Amazon

[raylo32]

Someone please explain me what kind of FAA waiver it will take to enable autonomous drone deliveries in US airspace... while hobbyists need spotters to fly FPV?

 

[THE CYBORG]

Acquired with lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[msinger]

Someone please explain me what kind of FAA waiver it will take to enable autonomous drone deliveries in US airspace

The FAA can approve a waiver for any Part 107 rule. Hobbyists don't have that luxury since there is no way to get a waiver for any of the hobbyist rules. If you're not following the hobbyist rules as written, then you must fly under Part 107 rules.

 

[raylo32]

I guess my comment is that this is another thing that makes no sense in terms of safety. May tick all the regulatory boxes, but please.

 

[msinger]

Are you saying allowing autonomous drone delivery could never be done safely?

 

[raylo32]

Not at all... although the challenges will be many. I can't see how one could deliver anything to my stoop. Townhouse with huge tree, 10 feet of steps, iron railing... you get the picture. Maybe the driveway where it could be seen and stolen. I just don't believe some of the rules that they are forcing on hobbyists make any sense when waivers might exempt far riskier flying for deliveries or whatever.

Are you saying allowing autonomous drone delivery could never be done safely?

 

[Mr. Salty]

Not at all... although the challenges will be many. I can't see how one could deliver anything to my stoop. Townhouse with huge tree, 10 feet of steps, iron railing... you get the picture. Maybe the driveway where it could be seen and stolen. I just don't believe some of the rules that they are forcing on hobbyists make any sense when waivers might exempt far riskier flying for deliveries or whatever.

Just because Amazon will be able to deliver packages with drones doesn't mean they will be able to deliver them to everyone, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Obviously they'd need an area clear to drop off the package securely.

And companies that want to use drones commercially in this manner have to spend a lot of time, money and research to prove to the FAA and other government agencies that they can do so safely before they're allowed to operate. That's why Amazon still isn't using drones, despite announcing the program years ago.

 

[msinger]

I just don't believe some of the rules that they are forcing on hobbyists make any sense when waivers might exempt far riskier flying for deliveries or whatever.

Which rules don't make any sense?

 

[Bigbird48]

Yea I don't see how they can do it either. Their video shows them delivering out in the country. Well do they have warehouses in all the remote areas 30 mins form all the farms LOL . Also I think the FAA would have to give them an altitude to fly at and flight paths. Just like airplanes have.

 

[Thomas B]

Most demos I have seen show the drone lowering the package by a long cord... My dogs will love it. The trees surrounding my house will likely make drone delivery to me impractical.

I am all for the inter hospital delivery of medicines and transplant organs. This is a perfect use and rooftop to rooftop.

One of the strongest tools I will use against this may be refusal of drone delivery (which protects delivery driver’s jobs) and taking my business elsewhere if only drone delivery is offered.

Wonder how they will prove delivery of tracked packages?

 

[tcope]

They don't lower anything. A person needs to sign up for the service. Once Amazon approves it, you are given a landing pad to put out in a clear area. You are informed a few hours in advance of the arrival. The drone then lands on the pad and leaves the small package. It does not land on your front porch.

 

[Thomas B]

They don't lower anything. A person needs to sign up for the service. Once Amazon approves it, you are given a landing pad to put out in a clear area. You are informed a few hours in advance of the arrival. The drone then lands on the pad and leaves the small package. It does not land on your front porch.

Thx for clarification!

 

[Smokieflies]

That one spot in my backyard, closer to my neighbors house then mine. At least in my neighborhood, no powerlines
because they are all underground, but not for most homes in America. And as BigBird48 mentioned there is battery issue.
So a driver is going to drive to a central location and make several package delivers? Seems like it would be easier just to drive the rest of the way. Or have a RC delivery van that you key in a code and a drawer would pop open.

 

[tcope]

The launch and return will be very controlled. The whole idea is to eliminate some of the very short deliveries of light objects and get them to people very quick. This will all be automated in order to avoid the high cost of labor and time. Amazons system will automatically load the drone and send it out. It makes no sense, nor is it currently possible, to load a light small item into a truck, drive the truck out, pay someone to spend hours loading drones and then waiting for them all to find their way back and somehow land safely. It would cost far more to do something like this (and it is not possible).

Very few people will qualify for this delivery type and very few packages will qualify. I suspect this will be the case for a a year or two. So to those 99.99 percent of people... don't plan on seeing a drone delivery for years.

 

[bobfa100]

Here’s the latest: Amazon reveals new Prime Air delivery drone

Note the relative size compared to the human. This is way more advanced than anything we have access to.

 

[gottahavit]

This all ends when one falls out of the sky on a car or the neighbors kid(or dog) runs out and gets "involved" with it. You're gonna have to sign an assumption of liability to get this service. I agree with an earlier comment... this is good for rooftop delivery not suburban back yards.