Wing owned by Alphabet delivers by drone in Christiansburg Virginia

(Oct. 18)The drone delivery company Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet (formerly Google) is now delivering not only health care products but also snacks to residents of Christiansburg Virgina.

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The company received recent approval for deliveries from the federal government and has teamed up with major companies such as FedEx and Walgreens. Wing claims it is the first commercial drone delivery service in the US.

Earlier this year, Wing became one of the first operators to be certified as a commercial air carrier by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows it to delivers goods to persons miles away and much beyond the drone operator's line of sight.

A recent article notes: " With an expanded Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Wing today became the first company to operate a commercial air delivery service via drone directly to homes in the United States. Wing’s FAA permissions are the first to allow multiple pilots to oversee multiple unmanned aircraft making commercial deliveries simultaneously to the general public, paving the way for the most advanced drone delivery service in the nation."

Wing

Wikipedia describes Wing: "Wing is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. that develops technology of drone-based delivery of freight. The company completed their first real-world deliveries in 2014.[1] The company has offices in Australia, the United States and Finland[citation needed]. In July 2018, Project Wing changed from Google X to become an independent Alphabet company.[2] As of January 2019, Wing began delivering take-out food and beverages out of its test facility in Bonython, Australia as part of a pilot program.[3] In April 2019 Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive a Air operator's certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it to operate as an airline in the USA.[4]"

How the system works. The appended promotional video gives a good picture of exactly how the system works.

The company says it hopes to replace deliveries that are now made by car or truck in order to reduce traffic on the city's roads. It also is a speedy delivery mode for anyone who has limited mobility options. Wing promises that its deliveries will take place within minutes of an order being place as long the customer lives in Christiansburg's "designated delivery zones". There are no extra fees for the drone deliveries.

Previously published in the Digital Journal