It’s been about a decade since Amazon began to fly its delivery drones, aiming to revolutionize the online shopping experience with rapid delivery of certain items. Most recently Amazon got permission from the FAA to not only start flying from its new Arizona-based location, but also to fly beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) missions with the new MK30 drone. We reported on this new MK30 drone which was introduced earlier this year along with the news of the Amazon Prime Air delivery service ceasing operations in California and moving them to Arizona instead.
This new drone has got twice the range as the old MK27 drone that it replaces and is said to be significantly quieter as well. The BLOS permission means that the delivery drones can service areas which are not directly visible from the warehouse with its attached drone delivery facility. With some people within the service range of the MK27 drones having previously complained about the noise levels, we will see quickly enough whether the MK30 can appease most.
As for the type of parcels you can have delivered with this service, it is limited to 2.27 kg (~5 lbs), which is plenty for medication and a range of other items where rapid delivery would be desirable.
Medication? Does bubbletea count? Thats all I see delivered here in Shenzhen
honestly, it’ll be better than nothing. i don’t have any qualifications (highschooler) but it will hopefully, key word hopefully, reduce some CO² emissions
Nitpick – BLOS is typically referred to as BVLOS (visual) in this industry.
We widely call it BLOS in my industry (Aerospace)
Both are common terms, but when it comes to Part 107 waivers it’s BVLOS as 107 requires you to maintain visual on the aircraft at all time.
That shouldn’t be annoying at all – the background sound of drones everywhere outside.
Would it be worse than the godforsaken continuous drone of air conditioners/heat pumps/air handlers everywhere now?
I can stand outside and I don’t hear air conditioners flying overhead. Maybe it’s just my area.
Yeah it will be worse because then it will be both of those noises layered on top of each other. Doy
If you hear modern heat pumps or a/c units and you don’t think, “Thank goodness for modern technology”, then either you are blessed to live somewhere extremely temperate or are just whining to whine.
Only negative I see with them is the bad habit of not designing homes to be as efficient and passively temperature regulated. However even a properly designed house absolutely needs one of these units.
There will be a sound of drones for a short time, then a sound of 12ga birdshot, and then silence will return
then the police show up and its a mess im sure these things will be absolutely covered in cameras
Ukraine has taught us that to take out a drone you use a drone.
Preferably with no identifying marks.
Keep the prop tips subsonic and they stay pretty quiet.
So they apprenticed over in Ukraine?
How many propellers do you think are supersonic? I know of exactly one, and it was called “Thunderscreech” for a reason. Supersonic propellers are a pretty terrible idea.
Drones are quite loud even though I am 99.9% certain that 100% of them have subsonic propellers
The propeller tips go supersonic, that is what they are referring to. Yes, the Thunderscreach was loud. So loud it made people physically ill. The aircraft was the only “Supersonic” propeller driven aircraft built. 😊👍
Meanwhile keeping 50m from any house?
Vertically, of course.
They’ve automated the careless dropping of packages in transit so the humans don’t have to do it.
50m rule is not applicable to drones operating under Part 135 certification.
I hope they’ve hired some good IT security folks because if not this will allow Porch Pirates to take theft to a new level (literally).
and yes, it will most likely count.
But will it leave my packages in the rain or throw them over the fence (for my dogs to chew up) or will it read the sign pointing to the deliveries box?
Birds are the primary hazards to aircraft. FAA: “In 2022, 17,190 strikes were reported (just in the US). The annual cost of wildlife strikes to the USA civil aviation industry in 2022 was projected to be 67,848 hours of aircraft downtime and $385 million in direct and other monetary losses.”
These drones for routine deliveries are such a pipe dream. One hits a bird, falls to the ground, damages property or harms someone and that’s the end. Plus, criminals will follow for “free stuff” and people trying to relax in the sun on their properties will just love the noise if the highly improbable happens and there are a lot of these flying around. In that case, in the US at least, they’ll probably be used for skeet practice.