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Have you tested the drone delivery app yet?

You're a real visionary...
One doesn’t need to be a “visionary” to know that 2+2 doesn’t equal 5.
It’s up to all of you who are buying all this nonsense to present the business argument, or tell us where to find it. You can’t because it doesn’t exist.
Never mind.... a thread like this will post in 6 months and another 6 months after that and on and on. Y’all will post another link where some company promises they will implement a profitable drone delivery business “next year” and next year will never come no matter how much of a visionary you are
 
I use amazon all the time myself and a significant portion of my portfolio is invested in their stock but even they can’t change the laws of physics or the weather or make that huge tree in someone’s yard disappear.
Their whole business model is based on being able to deliver 100% of their products to 100% of their customers as cheaply as possible not 1% of their products to less than 1% of their customers at a delivery cost that is impossible to calculate due to infinite variables.
There are less variables. The delivery can either be made by sUAS or it can’t. If it can then the cost calculation is arguably as simple as or more simple than for other delivery modes with significantly higher certainty of delivery time.
 
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I can't see how it'll take off (pun intended), but unless someone tries, no one will really know if it'll work or not. Good luck to them and kudos for giving it ago.
Drones have limited range, possible transmission problems in urban areas, especially trying to land behind tall buildings. Kids throwing rocks to see if they can bring it down, just for fun, and getting free food.
Won't it be interesting if someone ordered chips, and a flock of seagulls circle the drone.
 
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I can't see how it'll take off (pun intended), but unless someone tries, no one will really know if it'll work or not. Good luck to them and kudos for giving it ago.
Drones have limited range, possible transmission problems in urban areas, especially trying to land behind tall buildings. Kids throwing rocks to see if they can bring it down, just for fun, and getting free food.
Won't it be interesting if someone ordered chips, and a flock of seagulls circle the drone.
The trial in Australia is well progressed. You might be familiar with it already, It is currently proceeding with CASA exemptions in the ACT- Trial of drone delivery systems

The sUAS weigh 5kg and can deliver a payload up to 1.5kg within a 20km radius with a max flight speed just shy or 80mph.

Starting Feb 19 they will be commencing an expanded operation to further explore the commercial reality.

The flights are autonomous. The customer orders with an App and at the time specifies a suitable delivery spot. Cameras in the sUAS provide for precise positioning for the package to be lowered down by cable and automatically released. It seems the actual delivery is monitored by an operator to ensure safety (assume 4G or satellite link must be employed).

At least one independent study analysis has already provided that just in the small initial trail area $9m in savings in transport costs could be realised in a 12 month period.

I don’t think we might reasonably assume there is no future here. It is probably more an issue of when than if.
 
There will be a case in some rare scenarios but those are not the ones companies like the one in OP suggests.

Their whole business model is based on being able to deliver 100% of their products to 100% of their customers as cheaply as possible not 1% of their products to less than 1% of their customers at a delivery cost that is impossible to calculate due to infinite variables.

To me the Amazon case is just cheap marketing. It'll likely never be an efficient delivery method for them and they certainly know it, but it gets enough people to talk about them and develop the "innovative" image to warrant the costs.
 
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Commercially viable “drone delivery” is a complete farce. Anyone who has flown one knows this is true. There is no way this works practically or financially. Entities who are promoting this nonsense are just looking for free advertising (Amazon) or trying to raise money under false pretenses.
So- from flying our DJI toys we should know there is no commercial opportunities in sUAS package delivery? That’s probably a little more than short sighted.
 
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Never heard of it, but I do know that they are doing food delivery test flights here in North Carolina not too far from where I live. I work with the State DOT and our Aviation Division is a part of that testing. We just had a couple of medical package test deliveries last year carring a blood sample from a Dr's office to the Hosptal.

What area of NC?
 
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If you go to their web site you can sign up as a pilot in the system. Has anyone signed up???
I'm thinking about it.
 
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My 2 cents for what it's worth...

I don't see how this will work very well on amazons part. How can it be good business to replace a truck that can drive around with 100+ packages on it (and 1 person) with a drone that carries 1 package (and 1 person operating). Lets say that they pull off some great feat of engineering and they figure out a few packages (with 1 person operating) on the drone.... still in the calculation of man hours, how would this be more cost effective? 1 guy on a truck delivers over 100 packages a day (granted, some of them were tossed over a fence (cheap shot)... but as a cost effective business model... how can you replace this man with a drone doing a few at a time?

And how is this drone going to deliver? Drop in the yard? No "porch deliveries"? What if you live in tree covered areas? What about apartments, condos, and high rise buildings? These places are not available to drones.

I can't help but agree with the poster who said that a lot of it is publicity and wishful thinking. When it comes down to it, it's just not a feasible business idea.

Possibly 1 package urgent deliveries... like maybe organ donors when the item has to get there fast...I can see... other than that.... nah
 
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The trial in Australia is well progressed. You might be familiar with it already, It is currently proceeding with CASA exemptions in the ACT- Trial of drone delivery systems

The sUAS weigh 5kg and can deliver a payload up to 1.5kg within a 20km radius with a max flight speed just shy or 80mph.

Starting Feb 19 they will be commencing an expanded operation to further explore the commercial reality.

The flights are autonomous. The customer orders with an App and at the time specifies a suitable delivery spot. Cameras in the sUAS provide for precise positioning for the package to be lowered down by cable and automatically released. It seems the actual delivery is monitored by an operator to ensure safety (assume 4G or satellite link must be employed).

At least one independent study analysis has already provided that just in the small initial trail area $9m in savings in transport costs could be realised in a 12 month period.

I don’t think we might reasonably assume there is no future here. It is probably more an issue of when than if.
I think I had a glimpse of something on TV a few hours ago. I didn’t pay much attention. Food delivery seems overkill. But maybe for some commercial entity it might be feasible. I think the best use would be organ delivery between hospitals. Beats traffic and using helicopters, and there’s already landing pad on top of most hospitals. Just have to coordinate so they don’t interfere with emergency helicopters.
 
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“If you don’t have a vision you’re going to be stuck in what you know. And the only thing you know is what you’ve already seen.” Iyanla Vanzant

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Jack Welch
 
My guess is if the drone delivery ever gets off the ground it won’t be for everyone. Chances are you are buying something and at checkout you would have a choice. Truck or drone for delivery . If drone is picked chances are you would have to have a open spot for landing and someone be there waiting for the package . If the criteria cannot be met or if the landing zone is obstructed the drone will abort the delivery and you will get the traditional truck delivery . My guess is the landing zone will have to have GPS coordinates and it clearly marked landing pad . Then the info would be entered on the Amazon website for the drone delivery . It’s a cool idea . Years ago nobody thought a vehicle could ever do auto braking so two vehicles can’t get too close while on cruise control . Times are changing but some of us dinosaurs just can’t picture the future. There are about 6 or more company’s working on passenger drones . Things are going to change lots in the next 20 years
 
Considering traveling cars and trucks, trees, wires, walls, fences, railings, lawn shrubbery, as well as non sheltered spots to leave a package, there are huge issues to consider to make package delivery effective and safe. However many new inventions have had very similar obstacles to overcome. So I would not overlook the creative imagination of our amazing free market systems. For instance, with cars and trucks, humans have just accepted a relatively notable loss of life in accidents as part of the very beneficial technology. Of course, there was also a known and notable loss of life with horses and wagons which had been used as transportation for thousands of years too.
 
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Commercially viable “drone delivery” is a complete farce. Anyone who has flown one knows this is true. There is no way this works practically or financially. Entities who are promoting this nonsense are just looking for free advertising (Amazon) or trying to raise money under false pretenses.

Not true. The tech and viability are not a problem anymore, no regulation of that airspace needed has been accepted as commercial airspace yet.

edit:

in layman terms, you may still win a lawsuit from a commercial delivery liability, most importantly, no fly zones implemented through corporate ownership
 
Neil Armstrong, Charles Lindbergh, Christopher Columbus, Bill Gates. Everyone told them it couldnt be done, but they did it with alot of help from others.
 
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