CNBC-
Amazon said Tuesday it received regulatory approval to begin flying a smaller, quieter version of its delivery drone, the latest step in its long-running efforts to get the futuristic program off the ground.
The company unveiled the new drone, called the MK30, in November 2022. It said then that the MK30, in addition to the other changes, would fly through light rain and have twice the range of earlier models.
Amazon said the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval includes permission to fly the MK30 over longer distances and beyond the visual line of sight of pilots. The agency granted a similar waiver for Amazon’s Prime Air program in May, though that was limited to flights in College Station, Texas, one of the cities where it has been conducting tests. more here
New aerial targets! Do we get to keep what falls out? You need a Conservation stamp for drones?
One of these days a drone is going to smash into a big jet airliner and bring it down. To me, there aren’t enough good air traffic controllers to keep them separated in the air.
I don’t think its happened yet, but it is bound to happen someday.
Bezos changing his words, not his beliefs, to garner more approvals. Weasel.
Tim Buktu – Airports are geo-fenced. The software in GPS drones won’t allow them to fly into the zone. They can add another layer for small private airports or specified/requested no-fly zones too.
@Harry –
I hope you are right. But more and more I don’t trust technology. Too many failures. Systems have bugs that their developers and users have not yet discovered. Some of those discoveries may come at a cost to human life.
A Tesla has wonderful tech that show all cars travelling around you, in front, on your sides, back of you. But I will still look over my shoulder before making a lane change.
Tim – So far I have found that it works and agrees with Air-Aware.