Amazon ’s much counter same - day drone bringing servicePrime Airreached another milestone this week : The Federal Aviation Administration has just given Amazon clearance to start flight - testing the dawdler in the United States . Again . For real this metre .
This is the 2d time in as many monthsthat the on-line retail giant has received a drone examination certificate from the FAA . Last prison term around , however , the certificate only apply to analready - disused paradigm . Frustrated by the Feds ’ inertia , Amazon recently begantesting its rescue dronesat a “ top secret ” location in Canada , just 2,000 feet from the US boundary line .
Now , it seems , the society can finally commence their drone test domestically . Sez the FAA ’s director of flight standards service John Duncan , in a letter of the alphabet to Amazon :
This letter is to inform you that we have yield your petition for exemption . The exemption would allow the petitioner to operate an remote-controlled aircraft organisation ( UAS ) to conduct outside inquiry and development testing for Prime Air .
Thelettergoes on to adumbrate the FAA ’s terms and limitation , stating that Amazon can only comport test flight up to 400 ft , that drones must not overstep 100 miles per hour , and that they must stay within the “ line of credit of sight ” of their manipulator at all meter . No big surprises here — these are similar to the rules outlined in last month ’s defunct security , and to theproposed rules for commercial-grade dronesthat the FAA drafted in February .
New FAA Drone Rules Are Thankfully Lenient But a Headache for Amazon
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezosfirst announced his vision for Prime Air , a bourdon delivery service that would transport packages from company warehouses to shopper ’ front threshold in 30 second or less , in 2013 . That vision is still hamstring by the FAA ’s recent regulations , peculiarly the line - of - tidy sum requirement . presently , Amazon is also prohibited from flying its trailer over “ thickly populated surface area . ” Still , the recent move should be taken as progress . From Amazon ’s position , it may be only a small step toward a much larger end , but at least we seem to be move in the right-hand direction . [ FAAviaEngadget ]
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