Amazon starts drone delivery of packages.

[Blumlein 88]

Amazon Prime Air prepares for drone deliveries

Amazon customers in Lockeford, California, will be among the first to receive Prime Air drone deliveries in the U.S.

www.aboutamazon.com

What could go wrong?????

I wonder if it helps to put a net up in the yard to snag the package or would it snag the drone instead?

Will these fly under my porch so the package is not left out in the weather? (will drones fly in wet weather?)

I wonder if in the future you can do returns this way? (would seem efficient if they don't fly all the way back empty)

Will they open an Amazon Pizza to delivery hot pizzas this way? (and surely they will offer pineapple)

 

[amirm]

Can't wait until they roll it out in scale.

 

[restorer-john]

It's going to be hilarious. What could go wrong? Drones and Americans with guns- that's what. Good ol' boys will be blasting them out of the sky! They'll be crashing in peoples backyard pools, landing on cars, being run over, caught in storm drains after thunderstorms. And injuries- did I say injuries?

GPS issues around >275kV power lines and they'll be dropping like stones. (ask anyone who flew within 50m of HV lines).

Wedge tail eagles and hawks over here would tear them apart. Drones are a favourite prey of some of our big birds.

 

[AdamG]

The privacy issues are going to be a long term hurdle. Assuming these little flying delivery trucks will be equipped with Audio and Video recording devices. Who and how will what they record be used/stored. I can see various outsiders wanting access to this data. Some good, some bad; traffic mgt, weather reporting, search and rescue, insurance companies, law enforcement, community associations. Like others have said “What could go wrong?”

 

[norcalscott]

Looks like they will hover over your backyard at some distance up (safe height?) in the air and release the package. Nothing could go wrong there.

For these deliveries, the drone will fly to the designated delivery location, descend to the customer’s backyard, and hover at a safe height. It will then safely release the package and rise back up to altitude.

 

[restorer-john]

The problems will start with drones flying over other people's houses and properties. The people ordering chit from Amazon by drone will be arguing with their neighbours who want (and are entitled to) privacy and a lack of rotor noise over their roofs/backyards.

Kids in pools, naked sunbaking BBQs etc. I would not put up with it, that's for sure. But luckily, we're not in suburbia thank goodness.

 

[JSmith]

All drones must report to the Amazon mother ship... like in Independence Day (1996);

Fun times ahead for some;

I hear Dogecoin are starting their own drone delivery service too;

No fate...

JSmith

 

[restorer-john]

Looks like they will hover over your backyard at some distance up (safe height?) in the air and release the package. Nothing could go wrong there.

I can imagine Amir out in his backyard trying to catch the latest Topping DAC being dropped by a drone...

 

[RayDunzl]

Search N388PA

Aircraft Inquiry

registry.faa.gov

Regulations...

Federal Register :: Request Access

www.ecfr.gov

Crash...

Amazon Delivery Drone Crashed And Caused Fire

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, an Amazon delivery drone sparked a fire last summer when it crashed.

dronexl.co

Amazon Prime Air Lawn Service

 

[blueone]

I sincerely hope the entire drone strategy fails, and I'm an investor in Amazon. It is a stupid strategy. Hopefully many local governments will make drone delivery illegal in their jurisdictions.

 

[JSmith]

JSmith

 

[LightninBoy]

 

[tmtomh]

I actually think this can work... but only in rural and suburban communities (and maybe small towns) where the overwhelming majority of people live in fully-detached homes with decent-sized backyards. In cities this would be a nightmare to try to implement.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Maybe SpaceX will have a giga distribution center and offer 30 minute sub-oribital delivery world wide.

 

[JSmith]

Maybe SpaceX will have a giga distribution center and offer 30 minute sub-oribital delivery world wide.

JSmith

 

[Chromatischism]

Maybe SpaceX will have a giga distribution center and offer 30 minute sub-oribital delivery world wide.

Interesting thought...many space-race and military inventions eventually trickled down to the public. ABS, microwave generators, GPS, to name just a few.

What if hypersonic craft (think DARPA) in 50 years are used for expedited worldwide delivery. You'll get that 30-minute package to your island beach house...at a cost.

 

[Deleted member 47224]

I'm hoping UE will see to it that it does not happen over here. We have enough noisy contraptions in town and in the countryside, don't need an army of them. Plus, in my opinion, it will only encourage people to buy more stuff they probably don't need all the while feeding an already way too powerful company.

 

[JSmith]

to delivery hot pizzas this way?

Well...

JSmith

 

[Blumlein 88]

Let us hope they don't deliver Blue Sky with drones.

 

[Mart68]

I actually think this can work... but only in rural and suburban communities (and maybe small towns) where the overwhelming majority of people live in fully-detached homes with decent-sized backyards. In cities this would be a nightmare to try to implement.

Rural deliveries have the highest costs - In some cases it can take one driver an entire day to deliver one package.
So anything that saves the carrier money there makes sense. I suspect using it to deliver in a city it would be more trouble than its worth.