Drone company Wing gets 'air carrier' approval from FAA, allowing deliveries that will launch in Vir

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Gridlock
Drone company Wing gets ‘air carrier’ approval from FAA, allowing deliveries that will launch in Virginia

By Michael Laris
April 23 at 9:36 AM

Wing, a delivery venture that is part of Google parent Alphabet, has become the first drone company to be certified as an “air carrier” by the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing it to launch a package delivery service within months in Blacksburg, Va.

Company executives said they plan to expand to other parts of Virginia and around the nation, though the timeline for that remains unclear. Uber, UPS and other companies are also working on securing related go-aheads from federal officials, who have been pushing to expand drone use even as concerns about security and privacy remain. ... Wing executives said they’ll ask residents and businesses in southwest Virginia what they want delivered, as they have in Australia, where the company received permission to expand operations. Over-the-counter medicines and food are in the mix.
....

As for how neighbors’ quality of life might be affected by buzzing next-door deliveries, the company said that its drones “are quieter than a range of noises you would experience in a suburb, but they make a unique sound that people are unlikely to be familiar with.” Wing said it is working to develop “new, quieter and lower-pitched propellers.”

Wing’s new status was granted under regulations in place to cover traditional charter flights such as those carrying tourists on unscheduled hops between Hawaiian islands, rather than under rules specified for drones. That allowed Wing to leap a major hurdle. ... Under the drone-specific regulations, the company could not charge to deliver packages from other companies or individuals over long distances — meaning beyond what the drone’s operator could see.
....

Michael Laris writes about the transformation of the U.S. transportation system. He has covered government accountability and was a reporter in Beijing. Follow https://twitter.com/mikelaris

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/04/23/drone-company-wing-gets-air-carrier-approval-faa-allowing-deliveries-that-will-launch-virginia/

[cstanleytech]

1. I foresee alot of potential problems with drones and AI driven cars and the primary one is

the potential for them to be hacked and turned into weapons.

[NYMinute]

2. It is cool like SciFi

but I am afraid it is an accident about to happen as hundreds of drones take to the skies.

I wonder if people will have to start wearing hardhats while outside.

[Blues Heron]

3. how utterly stupid

talk about a solution in search of a problem!

[Blue_Tires]

4. Drone-delivered goods are an answer to a question nobody asked?

[MicaelS]

5. I predict drones getting targeted for attack.

Someone will come up with a non-lethal weapon, and publish the plans, so people can build them in secret. Since I doubt the FAA would allow a commercial version to be sold to the public. LEO already have them.

[paleotn]

6. shooting down drones and taking the stuff ....

next on Goofy Ideas!!

[Crowman2009]

7. We're living in a high-tech guilded age.