Coming Soon to a Front Porch Near You: Package Delivery Via Drone
Coming Soon to a Front Porch Near You: Package Delivery
Via Drone
Federal authorities promise unmanned aircraft proponents:
‘We’ll help you get there’
A drone demonstrated delivery capabilities from the top
of a UPS truck during testing in Florida last year. Domestic package-delivery
services appear to be on the verge of taking off, officials say. PHOTO: SCOTT
AUDETTE/REUTERS
By Andy Pasztor March
11, 2018 4:07 p.m. ET
After lagging behind other countries for years,
commercial drones in the U.S. are expected to begin limited package deliveries
within months, according to federal regulators and industry officials.
The momentum partly stems from stepped-up White House
pressure, prompting closer cooperation between the government and companies
such as Amazon.com Inc. seeking authorizations for such fledgling businesses.
The upshot, according to these officials, is newfound confidence by both sides
that domestic package-delivery services finally appear on the verge of taking
off.
Earlier promises of progress turned out to be premature.
The green light could be delayed again if proponents can’t overcome nagging
security concerns on the part of local or national law-enforcement agencies.
Proposed projects also may end up stymied if Federal Aviation Administration
managers don’t find creative ways around legislative and regulatory
restrictions such as those mandating pilot training for manned aircraft.
But some proponents of delivery and other drone
applications “think they might be ready to operate this summer,” Jay Merkle, a
senior FAA air-traffic control official, said during a break at an
unmanned-aircraft conference in Baltimore last week that highlighted the
agency’s pro-business approach.
At least 10 FAA-approved pilot programs for various drone
initiatives—some likely including package delivery—are slated to start by May.
Separately, industry and government officials have indicated that Amazon,
widely considered one the most aggressive and furthest advanced applicants, is
pushing for safety approval of detailed drone designs, as well as precise
operating rules.
Amazon officials declined to provide details. But Gur Kimchi,
vice president of the company’s package-delivery organization called Prime Air,
was hopeful that necessary approvals would be secured by 2019. Responding to
questions on the sidelines of the conference about probable locations and
timelines to initiate delivery flights, he repeatedly said “ask me next year.”
Earl Lawrence, who runs the FAA’s drone-integration
office, had a similar upbeat message. Airborne deliveries may be “a lot closer
than many of the skeptics think,” he told last week’s gathering. Some
experimental efforts already are under way and “they’re getting ready for
full-blown operations,” he said in an interview. “We’re processing their
applications,” and “I would like to move as quickly as I can.”
At this point, public comments by both the FAA and
prospective delivery companies have focused exclusively on methods to track and
control drones to ensure they won’t endanger property or people on the ground.
Largely due to competitive concerns, Amazon, Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit and
other would-be operators haven’t divulged exactly how customers would order a
package or be notified of its arrival.
So far, regulators in Australia, Singapore and Britain
are among those leading the way on drone deliveries. In the U.S., there have
been numerous studies, advisory panels and years of debate about the topic, but
relatively little movement to usher in real-world services. Other governments
have moved more quickly to permit commercial drones in segregated areas, while
the FAA is looking to integrate them into the nation’s airspace.
In recent months, however, there has been a marked shift
in tone from Washington. Lawmakers increasingly are prodding the FAA and urging
swift action. Senior officials at the Transportation Department, which is the
FAA’s parent agency, “get calls from the White House fairly regularly”
demanding faster decisions, according to Derek Kan, DOT’s undersecretary for
policy.
During last week’s conference, FAA officials urged
startups and established industry players alike to submit a variety of
proposals, repeatedly using the catchphrase “the FAA is open for business.” As
long as essential safety standards are met, Mr. Lawrence and his colleagues
promised to tailor exemptions and waivers to modify basic rules written decades
ago when drones weren’t in the picture.
The FAA’s Mr. Merkle, who has helped implement automated
traffic management changes around airports for less-ambitious drone uses, was
even more blunt about the agency’s stance. In general, applicants “need to
understand what you need (and) when you need it” from the FAA, he said during a
conference panel. Encouraging companies to move quickly to try various
operational concepts, he said “we’ll help you get there.”
Amazon, for instance, has said its long-term goal is to
pick up packages weighing a maximum of 5 pounds from distribution centers and
whisk them to customers within a 20-mile radius. Navigating safely over
populated areas and landing in pinpoint locations remain two of the most
difficult challenges.
Along with General Electric Co., Google and a handful of
other aerospace and Silicon Valley companies, Amazon has sketched out
principles for a separate, low-altitude traffic-control network intended to be
funded and run by a fast-growing industry encompassing more than 10,000
drone-related companies and 70,000 registered commercial aerial vehicles.
Before any of that becomes reality, FAA and industry
leaders face an uphill battle convincing local governments that noise, privacy
and security fears can be alleviated. Late last year, an industry-government
task force failed to reach consensus on the notion that “state and local
governments, through their police powers, are the exclusive regulators of land
use, zoning, privacy and trespass” protections for their citizens.
In some cases, those principles mean neighborhood
controls could pre-empt federal approvals. In announcing the disagreement among
participants, Brendan Schulman, co-chair of the task force and a top policy and
legal official for drone maker DJI, at the time said participants were “very
much looking forward to new direction from the FAA.”
Still, the impetus for delivery solutions is
accelerating, and such flights appear inevitable.
“We face tremendous congestion on the roads, but we have
virtually unlimited capacity above us,” said Brian Wynne, president of the
industry’s largest trade association. “Why wouldn’t we use that?”
The FAA’s latest strategy reflects “an attitude of regulatory
humility,” acting administrator Daniel Elwell said in a keynote speech at the
conference stressing enhanced cooperation with operators. Agency policy makers
“cannot make the mistake of thinking we have all the answers,” he added.
Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
Appeared in the March 12, 2018, print edition as 'U.S.
Drone Deliveries Ready for Takeoff.'
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