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Amazon Prime Air
- Thread starter Gorn
- Start date
Like others have said, this will not happen in a loooooong time but it WILL happen.. Eventually...
I graduated with a Unmanned Aerial Systems major in the spring so I'm very up-to-date with regulations, system capabilities, etc..
I can tell you the capability is there for smaller packages. We fly a system right now for a law enforcement research project called the Aerovironment Qube and it flies 30+ minutes. The only thing stopping it is battery technology which is getting better everyday. The capability to land it on someone's doorstep without a video camera is also there. Just need a high resolution map that's geo-referenced and you can put it anywhere within a meter or two. A camera would help but not entirely necessary.
The regulations are not there and won't be until AT LEAST 2015. That's a stretch even and Amazon won't be the first to benefit when the rules do come out.
The whole ordeal is pure marketing and image for Amazon at this point but this sort of thing will happen someday.
I graduated with a Unmanned Aerial Systems major in the spring so I'm very up-to-date with regulations, system capabilities, etc..
I can tell you the capability is there for smaller packages. We fly a system right now for a law enforcement research project called the Aerovironment Qube and it flies 30+ minutes. The only thing stopping it is battery technology which is getting better everyday. The capability to land it on someone's doorstep without a video camera is also there. Just need a high resolution map that's geo-referenced and you can put it anywhere within a meter or two. A camera would help but not entirely necessary.
The regulations are not there and won't be until AT LEAST 2015. That's a stretch even and Amazon won't be the first to benefit when the rules do come out.
The whole ordeal is pure marketing and image for Amazon at this point but this sort of thing will happen someday.
Very Cool Bassist 11.
As a pilot, I am very curious if you had to pass any FAA testing regarding the hundreds of airspace regulations as part of your training and degree. Again, just curious. I did not even know that such a major existed until reading this thread.
The system will cost you over $50,000 but once you own it it only costs you the electricity to charge the batteries. So high initial investment but very little operating cost.
It costs a lot becuase it's from a reputable company like Aerovironment, has an electro-optical/infrared camera, and has a ground station that comes with it. You can build a quadcopter for around $1000 like most hobbyists do but it won't be quite as robust and have a lot of the features.
It costs a lot becuase it's from a reputable company like Aerovironment, has an electro-optical/infrared camera, and has a ground station that comes with it. You can build a quadcopter for around $1000 like most hobbyists do but it won't be quite as robust and have a lot of the features.
Sorry to double post... But before we really get to the "unmanned" classes we are required to get our commercial pilots license. So I'm a fully qualified multi-engine, instrument rated pilot. I also am a certified flight instructor.
Then once we are at that point we sort of transition to unmanned classes and flying. The University of North Dakota was the first to offer such a degree but now you can also go to Embry Riddle, Kansas State, New Mexico State, and a couple others to get similar education.
Wow! I am impressed. Makes me feel a lot safer when flying in the air knowing that Real Pilots are and will be the ones developing future technology drones.
Do they need to be piloted?
I'm just wondering what all the various costs might potentially be for operating an Amazon "delivery copter".
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- May 30, 2000
- 4,707
- 256
- Disclosures
- Creator of: iGigBook Sheet Music Manager
They would need to be piloted, although one person may be able to pilot multiple aircraft in one area. The one we use takes a crew of two but that's on the safe side. Right now we need to have a rated manned pilot controlling the aircraft and one more person knowledgeable in aviation rules and regulations to act as a visual observer. The visual observer just makes sure we don't run into anything like birds or other aircraft.
So operating costs would be some manpower, some maintenance costs (damaged props, new batteries, etc) and electricity to power them is all I can really think of. There would be more initial investment in the aircraft themselves and the infrastructure to support them in ground control stations.
I disagree with this - Amazon is a $61 Billion company. That's pretty big
One death will not equal one lawsuit.
There will be the civil lawsuit from the family of the deceased. If it happened over a road like in the scenario I listed, there could be city/state/federal fines and or lawsuits. And lastly that will open the floodgates to lawsuits of every possible kind (legitimate or otherwise.)
Remember, you still have to spend money to defend frivolous lawsuits.
Kids would be running away, and not running toward it upon landing.
Not if they think it's carrying new toys.
- May 30, 2000
- 4,707
- 256
- Disclosures
- Creator of: iGigBook Sheet Music Manager
Customer service at my local flea market is hot too. *shrugs*
I wasn't referring to CS. I was referring to products. I can buy Lays potato chips on Amazon. No super niche. Just a big wholesale juggernaut. The Wal-Mart of online. Only difference is Wal-Mart was built from the ground up. Amazon was built because it was the first or close to it (like Ebay, Paypal, Google, Yahoo!, etc.). Internet is rife with monopolies.
