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Congratulations to everyone that has been pining away for drone delivery services

PropSpin

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How are you going to have companies deliver packages using drones flying beyond line of sight and keep the airspace deconflicted??? Why, by having the FAA pass a rule requiring all UAS to connect to and maintain a network connection, that's how! So in addition to having the juggernaut's crappy, noisy, unsightly flying machines buzzing overhead, all in the name of quicker and cheaper delivery, most everyone else that have any interests in UASes get "stomped" The FAA's justification for requiring a network connection for "remote ID" is that it's "more complete". They're right, it is more complete, and will allow corporations to fly their crap all over the place, at will. Lets just hope the FAA comes to their senses.
 
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Agreed.

The real kicker though is the small town of a small suburb I live in will never see drone delivery. Only the major cities...
Great point...

There is a sensible solution via DJI believe it or not (license plate-like RF broadcast Remote ID, no cell), but its inconvenient for them so itll likely get trampled.
 
Great point...

There is a sensible solution via DJI believe it or not (license plate-like RF broadcast Remote ID, no cell), but its inconvenient for them so itll likely get trampled.

It just grinds my gears more thinking about it. I won't be able to fly my drone because of Amazon deliveries, but won't be able to actually get drone deliveries myself...

Look if this remote ID thing really is because of the drone delivery services, then they need to confine it to only the actual areas where deliveries will be happening.

Of course the FAA won't admit to it, and it would be too time consuming to only enforce the new laws to certain areas, so they just blanket the whole country instead
 
Why would anyone think that Amazon are seriously considering using drones for delivery?

They are.

But they are just waiting for Remote ID to come. They don't even hide it that they are behind the Remote ID NPRM:

We're working with regulators and industry to design an air traffic management system that will recognize who is flying what drone, where they are flying, and whether they are adhering to operating requirements.
 
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I wonder what solutions these drone delivery companies would make to get relief from ALL of the below:
  • 107.29 Daylight operation (i.e. not allowed to fly at night)
  • 107.39 Operation over human beings (i.e. not allowed ... over moving vehicles is a no-no as well)
  • 107.51(d) Can't fly with cloud cover lower than 500 ft. and visibility less than 3 statute miles
That is never mind how they are going to fuel one of these things for more than 30 minutes or deal with the risks of property damage and/or injury of persons arising from equipment malfunctions.
 
Let's not forget all of the truck drivers that will lose their jobs to delivery drones. This is such a lose/lose situation for everyone except the Amazon.coms of this world. Ugh.
 
I'm giving a speech in a couple of weeks at a conference for high level CIO's about drone delivery in the retail and hospitality industries. It is a real thing and the FAA is putting significant resources behind this. Obviously the demand is being driven by the big boys such as Amazon, Fedex, UPS, UberEats, etc. There are some pretty solid use cases for the medical industry as well. I think it will be inevitable to be part of the future landscape, and yes, it will deeply have an effect on us as pilots.
 
Prime is going to get all of subscribers our very own "droneapad" It's going to be up above the power lines and trees ..I'm just not sure how we're expected to retrieve the package.
 
Retail “drone delivery“ is a complete fantasy. Everybody knows it but many perpetuate the narrative for one reason. It is a useful tool that justifies more rules and regulations. Companies that keep putting out these press releases and phony videos are doing it to get free advertising. For almost zero investment, these things get talked about everywhere and show up on news shows for free. Genius marketing!

Now everybody take a seat and get comfortable... we are about to hear from all of the “smart people“ as they tell us why this is going to happen. Other than it being impossible to viably scale as a business model, they‘re going to completely ignore the logistical, social and physical hurdles that can’t be overcome.
It’s always fun to watch..... The popcorn is popping ;-)
 
How will a network connections make drone delivery or flight safer for any aircraft? Will this data be analyzed in real time and commands sent to the drone in route to modify its flight plan to avoid another drone or maned aircraft in its flight path ? Will air traffic control manage all flight paths in real time to keep traffic separated ? Even with 5G cellular connection network speeds ( which I don't think will be available in rural areas as some areas I have flown do not have any cell data service currently) I don't see this happening with current technology. How will this real time networked UAV be any safer when a delivery drone collides with a large bird to take a drone out of the air while it is over people or moving vehicles ? It does not seem to me that this real time data collection will not enhance safety. I believe drone delivery can and will be possible. I don't see how a real time data collection of UAS will increase safety.
 
There is 1 simple fact that these fantasists are ignoring. It takes a lot more energy to move stuff in the air than along the ground or on water.

It is very expensive and makes no sense.

Why do you think 99% of Global cargo is carried by ship and not by aircraft?
 
I wonder what solutions these drone delivery companies would make to get relief from ALL of the below:
  • 107.29 Daylight operation (i.e. not allowed to fly at night)
  • 107.39 Operation over human beings (i.e. not allowed ... over moving vehicles is a no-no as well)
  • 107.51(d) Can't fly with cloud cover lower than 500 ft. and visibility less than 3 statute miles
That is never mind how they are going to fuel one of these things for more than 30 minutes or deal with the risks of property damage and/or injury of persons arising from equipment malfunctions.
All of those are subject to waiver by the FAA.
Delivery drones will definitely not be DJI toys that fly for only 25 minutes, and I doubt that they will be buzzing all around the city over people and traffic and landing unattended or unsecured. Most likely there will be dedicated secure delivery points and very specific flight paths and levels.
 
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How will a network connections make drone delivery or flight safer for any aircraft? Will this data be analyzed in real time and commands sent to the drone in route to modify its flight plan to avoid another drone or maned aircraft in its flight path ? Will air traffic control manage all flight paths in real time to keep traffic separated ? Even with 5G cellular connection network speeds ( which I don't think will be available in rural areas as some areas I have flown do not have any cell data service currently) I don't see this happening with current technology. How will this real time networked UAV be any safer when a delivery drone collides with a large bird to take a drone out of the air while it is over people or moving vehicles ? It does not seem to me that this real time data collection will not enhance safety. I believe drone delivery can and will be possible. I don't see how a real time data collection of UAS will increase safety.
There are all kinds of uses for deconfliction. It starts with filing a flight plan and getting permission to fly that flight. Networked AI can then aid in the minutia of deconflicting and on board sensors can aid as well. The FAA isn't planning for "right now". They're planning for now and into the future. Hence their statement that a networked remote ID solution is "more complete". I'd imagine at some point they would want to require UAS to talk to each other, but that will depend on the amount of air traffic we end up seeing.
 
There is 1 simple fact that these fantasists are ignoring. It takes a lot more energy to move stuff in the air than along the ground or on water.

It is very expensive and makes no sense.

Why do you think 99% of Global cargo is carried by ship and not by aircraft?
For bulk shipping, sure, but I think you're forgetting the "last mile" scenarios for land routes. Delivery drones will likely all be fixed wing with hover capability. I'm pretty sure it takes less energy to fly "spider web" routes in less densely populated areas with a UAS on a direct flight path versus driving a truck all over the place. No idea where the tipping point is though.
 
All of those are subject to waiver by the FAA.
Delivery drones will definitely not be DJI toys that fly for only 25 minutes, and I doubt that they will be buzzing all around the city over people and traffic and landing unattended or unsecured. Most likely there will be dedicated secure delivery points and very specific flight paths and levels.
And at some point, managed by AI, or greatly assisted by AI...
 
Let's not forget all of the truck drivers that will lose their jobs to delivery drones. This is such a lose/lose situation for everyone except the Amazon.coms of this world. Ugh.
Yes. Corporatism. Where big companies take advantage of the situation and the masses are too dumb to think about the long term impact of what's being allowed. We're just happier with cheaper prices as we go about our daily lives, focused on the ground two feet in front of us.
People need to start contacting their law makers to demand that retail drone delivery services be highly restricted. If the big companies are allowed to have their way, we are going to end up with these requirements being considered by the FAA, destroying the hobby for countless individuals and making it more difficult to start a small business that employs UASes. Not to mention having to put up with the noise and sight of these contraptions buzzing all over the place.

The only legitimate uses of drone delivery services, in my view, is medical and emergency types of services. There's just not enough room from 0 to 400 feet to have consumer delivery going on...
 
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