Amazon Asks For FAA Permission To Test 'Prime Air' Delivery Service
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Tech titan penned a letter to the FAA explaining the progress of its drone program
In a move that sounds like it might be part of the next Will Smith blockbuster hit, Amazon.com Inc. is seeking an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules prohibiting the use of drones for commercial purposes. They want to begin testing its delivery drones near Seattle, as part of a rapid expansion of a program that has sparked widespread debate over the safety and privacy implications of drone technology.
The “Prime Air” drone program, met with a mix of derision and privacy and technological concerns, was unveiled by CEO Bezos, who founded Amazon 20 years ago, on the CBS television program "60 Minutes" late last year.
In a letter dated July 9 posted on the FAA’s website, the company details the current drone program, which has made startling advancements in the last five months. ”We are rapidly experimenting and iterating on Prime Air inside our next generation research and development lab in Seattle,” the letter states.
Chief Executive Jeff Bezos wants to use drones - small unmanned aircraft - to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less as part of the program dubbed "Prime Air." Amazon is apparently working on the eighth and ninth generation of Prime Air, and is testing their agility, redundancy, “sense-and-avoid sensors,” duration and other algorithms. The company is also working on aerial vehicles that can travel over 50 miles per hour and transport a five pound payload.
Currently Amazon can test drones indoors and in other countries. But it cannot conduct R&D flight tests in open outdoor space in the state of Washington, where Amazon has its headquarters.
"Of course, Amazon would prefer to keep the focus, jobs and investment of this important research and development initiative in the United States," the company said in the letter, dated July 9 and signed by Paul Misener, head of global public policy for Amazon.
Since 2012, the FAA has allowed only limited use of drones in the U.S. for surveillance, law enforcement, atmospheric research and other applications. Currently the FAA prohibits the use of drones for commercial purposes (with few exceptions) and has strict guidelines for the use of recreational drones. Eventually Amazon would like to use the unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less.
Last year, the U.S. government created six sites for companies, universities and others to test drones for broader commercial use in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.
The problem is that the area near Seattle, where Amazon wants to conduct its tests, is not among those sites, and Amazon said in the letter that it would be "impractical" to limit its testing to only those areas.
Despite the controversy, Amazon has rapidly grown the drones’ team in the last five months. It has hired roboticists, aeronautical engineers and a former NASA astronaut, and recently advertised for a full-time communications manager for the program.
Delivering packages by drones will one day be "as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today," Amazon said in the July 9 letter.