How Americans feel about drone delivery

[Chaosrider]

Personally I am not in favor of drone delivery. Our small DJI drones make a certain amount of noise that is unavoidable. Imagine the noise froma larger drone carrying a payload much larger than what our little drones can handle. Then imagine the frequency of those larger drones in your vicinity.

Bottom line: Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Often technology, while helping us humans in one area often hurts us much more in others. Those of us who lived before smart phones, text messaging and social media might be able to relate to how less stressful life was back then, though certain tasks were less efficient. JMO

There's an easy cure for the stress from cell phones, text messages, and social media...don't use them! I very rarely do.

You sound like the Chaotician from Jurassic Park...

;-)

Noise is a legitimate concern for some people, in some areas. But if a drone can already legally fly in some area...why not let it do so autonomously, or semi-autonomously, for delivery? Towns and individuals don't have any control over what can fly over their property, but they do have jurisdiction over landings, and delivering a package can very sensibly be considered a partial landing.

So, if the town of Ludditeville wants to ban drone delivery, they can do that.

There's no need for the rules to be the same everywhere. In fact, doing so is highly undesirable.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Right now here in Canada one of the drone delivery companies is dronedeliverycanada.com
They do far north delivery. First nations and such. Check out their web site. Very successful so far. There is a lot more to flying one of those then you would think. Its like a command center. Pretty impressive.

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[zeusfl]

I personally believe that FAA should give more altitude to the drones. I guess another 200FT will be fine in order to reduce or eliminate the noise. In this way, drone delivery can go higher without bothering nobody until the landing.
I personally believe a Harley Davidson or sports car do more noise than a drone in the air.

 

[vindibona1]

There's an easy cure for the stress from cell phones, text messages, and social media...don't use them! I very rarely do.

You sound like the Chaotician from Jurassic Park...

;-)

Noise is a legitimate concern for some people, in some areas. But if a drone can already legally fly in some area...why not let it do so autonomously, or semi-autonomously, for delivery? Towns and individuals don't have any control over what can fly over their property, but they do have jurisdiction over landings, and delivering a package can very sensibly be considered a partial landing.

So, if the town of Ludditeville wants to ban drone delivery, they can do that.

There's no need for the rules to be the same everywhere. In fact, doing so is highly undesirable.

A few thoughts. Without getting into the politics of it, but if you look at the teen suicide rate from 2000 to present I would ask, WHAT'S DIFFERENT AFTER 2000? Come on. You can say it. I have my thoughts about what would help and should be done, but wouldn't be popular for a lot of reasons. Technology is often abused. Ask me about the client that texted at 5:30 am on a Sunday morning asking a question that could have waited until at least 8 or 9am. In the "old days" the client would have had to leave a message on an answering machine. Too many people don't understand boundaries or self restraint.

Call me Mr. Jurasic Park if you like, but again, technology can be your friend or your enemy. The problem is that (IMO) technology has advanced beyond humans' ability to use it responsibly.

I agree that every region is different and have different community standards. The problem is that many of those in charge at every level make very poor decisions acting when not necessary and failing to act when it is. And let's face it, some times common sense goes out the window when money is involved. Just ask me about how our municipal trustees ok'd the construction of a Carvana tower right next to a Holocaust museum, on the edge of a forest preserve. I'm sure they were looking at the tax revenue rather than how it would impact the "gestalt" of the neighborhood/area.

 

[Clintoops]

So are you against all autonomous vehicles?
Or are you just against autonomous vehicles with current technology?
There is a big difference.
i can assure you there is better tech than skydio, but your probably just talking about consumer drones.

I dont forsee gimmick applications like pizza delivery being in anyway feasible, but the applications of autonomous land air and sea vehicles are limitless

Yes Im people are going to get killed I seen the semi trucks they run posted limits when I feel some conditions it unsafe and they pull in to fast and cut you off you need drivers driving. The only reason they want this is to not pay people wages. But we need jobs to buy there stuff Go figure

 

[Ty Pilot]

The only problem I have with 'Autonomous' vehicles is that they are no more autonomous than an electric car is 'emissions free'. And I think many folks these days get swept up into believing that whatever we've done in the past = Bad and whatever we do in the 'future = Good, without much thought as to how it actually might play out.

As long as humans are involved in the creation, production, programming, operation and maintenance of 'autonomous' vehicles they will remain as likely to be involved in accidents as a crewed vehicle performing the same job particularly when we are discussing the life line of human existence - moving millions of tons of product around on a daily basis.

I am a firm believer that from an economical point of view, mass drone delivery is DOA. If you want life on this planet to grind to a halt then try to find a way to move everything around in the air by drones.

I do believe delivery drones can play a very small part in some critical areas as has been mentioned in this and other similar threads but other than that pass the popcorn.

 

[samtex]

Drone delivery may not be the answer yet, but how about robot delivery? In either case, the amazon delivery truck drivers will be out of jobs. They seem to be doing an amazing job now.
Think just a minute. What if drones or robots made a short-haul delivery to the trucks?
How would the drones built today make a flight to the country home 25 to 50 miles from a distribution point? How could they manage that distance and return home? Considering the cost of the drones and how many may get lost by failing to return to home base it seems the conventional delivery makes more sense until the range of flight increases with some other power than batteries. Who is going to be at the controls or is the drone to be guided by artificial intelligence?

 

[PropSpin]

I personally believe that FAA should give more altitude to the drones. I guess another 200FT will be fine in order to reduce or eliminate the noise. In this way, drone delivery can go higher without bothering nobody until the landing.
I personally believe a Harley Davidson or sports car do more noise than a drone in the air.

That means they would have to take away 200 ft from manned aviation which isn't going to happen. As for the noise, engine powered vehicles are constrained to very specific areas and are easily avoided should one so choose.

 

[PropSpin]

100% against drone delivery except for very select operators using them for emergency services.
Who benefits from drone delivery? At the end of the day, the juggernaut corporations. They'll be making bank at everyone else's expense.
For your ordinary person, drone delivery means pollution - visual and audial. It'll be much worse in some areas than others. Some people won't care, specifically urban dwellers. I care though, along with countless others I suspect.
For RC hobbyists and commercial pilots running their own businesses, it means more regulations, expense, etc. as the airspace becomes more and more controlled to make drone delivery a reality.
For what? So people can have instant gratification on a whim? And the corporatists to profit handsomely, proclaim how "green" they are, etc. while small business operators and regular folk get the short end of the stick? No thanks.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

From the 40,000 potential customers Flytrex has now and expanding it would be good to know out of that 40,000 how many actually use the service and it would be interesting to conduct a survey of those 40,000 people on what they think.

 

[Art Cox]

As I understand it, manned aircraft must stay at or above 500ft unless taking off or landing. That's why airports have NFZ around them for UAV's. With that being said, why can't delivery drones fly in that 400ft - 500ft zone?

 

[mobilehomer]

As I understand it, manned aircraft must stay at or above 500ft unless taking off or landing. That's why airports have NFZ around them for UAV's. With that being said, why can't delivery drones fly in that 400ft - 500ft zone?

Helicopters, powered parasails, hang gliders and cropdusters have no minimum ceiling.

 

[Foxyfox]

I live in an area with drone delivery. Not a yank thou, an Aussie. I have no dramas with it, I have even used it a couple of times for a coffee when I have used the last of the milk on my sons cereal.

However I have spoken to someone that lives under the main thoroughfare where a distribution hub is. She can’t stand it, drones whizzing past multiple times per minute.

Drone service here is run by Wing, owned by alphabet which is the parent company of Google.

I think it does have a place in the future of household delivery, but it won’t be available everywhere and not all people will be happy with the outcome.

 

[Robert Prior]

Right now here in Canada one of the drone delivery companies is dronedeliverycanada.com
They do far north delivery. First nations and such. Check out their web site. Very successful so far. There is a lot more to flying one of those then you would think. Its like a command center. Pretty impressive.

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Far north makes sense. For one thing, a lot less chance of hitting someone if something goes wrong.

Downtown Toronto, less so.