Wing, a company owned by Google’s Alphabet, is a subsidiary that focuses on drone delivery technologies. Now it is considered the first drone delivery company to be approved and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. This means that Wing has the right to operate as an air carrier in the USA. Recently the company has launched its first commercial drone delivery in the US which basically enables doorstep delivery via drones.
However, for now, the delivery will only be available in Christiansburg, Virginia, especially in “designated delivery zones”. The town was chosen because it cooperates closely with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. The test program is about to be launched soon. For this trial period, Wing is partnering with such companies as FedEx, Walgreens, and Virginia’s Sugar Magnolia, a local retailer. People will be able to order medicine, snacks, sweets or stationery. The delivery will be free.
The process of the delivery may be described as the following:
- The customers use the app or Wing’s website to make an order.
- The drone will take off from the service center and then fly to the required area.
- When ready to drop off the order, the drone will deposit the package in the yard or to your doorstep via a special “rope”.
Wing CEO James Ryan Burgess also stated that each drone, being less noisy than a car or a truck, will weigh 10 pounds and will be able to carry up to 2-pound packages. Six miles is a one-way travel for such drones that are expected to deliver goods within 10 minutes.
The main advantages of commercial drone delivery are that it can help reduce the amount of traffic on the streets and reach people with reduced mobility.
