This week marked a major milestone in U.S. drone flights, as Zipline, a five-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company, was granted Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate drones beyond the visual line of sight. This is the much-desired "holy grail" of regulatory clearance for the drone industry that other operators such as UPS subsidiary Flight Forward, uAvionix, and Phoenix Air Unmanned also received in August and September. This approval opens the door for other firms to get streamlined approvals in the future, thus allowing retailers to expedite deliveries to customers with unmanned aircrafts.
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration granted approval to Zipline, a drone delivery company, to fly drones beyond visual line of sight. This milestone marks the beginning of a new era of extending the range of the domestic drone industry in U.S. airspace. The FAA also approved UPS subsidiary Flight Forward, avionics provider uAvionix, and drone inspection provider Phoenix Air Unmanned for the same clearance in August and September. These approvals serve as the foundation for "summary grants" for other businesses with comparable models, such as package delivery, drone inspections, medical supplies and drone aviation system development. Before the new regulations, a human observer needed to be present along the flight route of the drone to ensure it stayed clear of air traffic. By allowing drones to fly without an observer, accessibility and scalability of the business have increased. Zipline CEO Keller Cliffton commented that with the new approvals, the company will now be able to serve "hundreds of millions of people" in the U.S. He also mentioned that at scale, this technology will save money and lives. Zipline started as a drone solution for emergency medical deliveries but has since expanded to multiple sectors and partnered with retailers including Walmart.
In March, Zipline unveiled its second-generation drone system, P2 Zip, which can transport up to eight pounds within a 10-mile radius, take less than ten minutes to complete a flight, and make an accurate drop-off on small surfaces like a table or doorstep. Cliffton, speaking to CNBC about the new drones, noted the significance of the eight-pound weight limit for e-commerce in the US, where most packages weigh five pounds or less. As early as 2020, the company was already engaged in drone tests with Walmart in Arkansas. This year, Walmart announced that, with the help of partners including Zipline, DroneUp, and Flytrex, it had established 36 drone delivery hubs in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The FAA's approval of Zipline's drones means that the agency is confident of their safety and autonomous capabilities for monitoring airspace and avoiding collisions. The platform incorporates 500 pre-flight safety checks and an acoustic avoidance system, although its range had been limited to visual line of sight until the FAA's green light. The range of products delivered by Zipline, a five-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company and No. 25 on this year's list, has increased from medical supplies in Rwanda to include food, prescriptions, agricultural supplies, retail items, and human and animal medical items. Cliffton noted the significance of the FAA decision, which had been anticipated, saying that it validates the US's "strategic importance" in the "fundamental technological transformation" of drone delivery, and ensures that the country remains a "global leader" in the industry.
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