Drone Delivery Service Wing Gets More Flight Freedom

Another incremental increase in delivery drone autonomy is being hailed as big improvement in efficiency for the fledgling services. Wing Delivery, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, says the FAA is now allowing its drones to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without human observers. According to DroneLife, the FAA has given Wing a summary grant of an exemption to operate the drones with that extra level of autonomy without having to go through a long analysis. It means it can expand its delivery footprint and expand to new markets. Wing is used by clients to deliver small packages and fast food.

A key part of its autonomous operation is the use of ADS-B to first assess the airspace for potentially conflicting traffic. Then it uses detect-and-avoid technology to keep any eye out for threats while en route. “Overall, the FAA’s approval for DAA and recognition of broader strategic deconfliction and UTM (Unmanned Aircraft Traffic System Management) applications will allow us to operate more efficiently and work toward scaled operations nationwide." The first deployment of the new freedom will be in Dallas/Fort Worth and its suburbs, which will become a template for operations in other urban areas.