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Google Now Has an FAA-Approved “Airline” – And It Is Drones Only

6 years ago
1 Comment
by Charlie
google wing airline
Written by Charlie

Google’s new “airline” Wing now has FAA-approval and is the first drone service to receive this air carrier certification. Find out more about this cool new drone airline!

In a first for this delivery segment, Google’s home delivery service, “Wing”, has now received clearance as an “air carrier” service. This new service will start with deliveries in the coming months.

Google’s New Airline “Wing” Receives FAA Approval for Air Carrier Service

google wing airline

Google’s new drone airline – Wing – flying with deliveries soon!

Link: Wing Delivery Service

Drone delivery is definitely going to be the next great frontier of delivery services. Yep, that means the skies could be filled in the next many years with various kinds of delivery drones (probably not “filled” in actuality, though!).

Google’s new Wing service will start with deliveries in the coming months for the Blacksburg and Christiansburg areas of Virginia. The process of getting certified by the FAA for this service was quite intensive as it was the same approval process that regular airline services need. This is especially notable that Google has passed this since there are many aspects of the approval process that do not apply to drones so Google worked with the FAA on those sections.

This means that approval for air carrier status for other drone systems could be easier in the future as the FAA adapts some of these rules to work with the drones. Google’s Wing service will launch as a delivery tool for local merchants and can carry a load of up to 3.3 pounds. They will hover above a delivery point (like a yard) and slowly drop the delivery by means of a tether. This will ensure safety for the people on the ground and for the drone.

So, if you live in rural Virginia, you will soon be able to take delivery via Google’s airline!

Source: Bloomberg

Featured image from Wing

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About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.

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1 Comment

  • So let’s say a border collie (or a person) jumps up to grab the package while it’s 6 feet above the ground. What happens to the drone, tether, and package? And what happens if/when neighborhood kids try to hit delivery drones with slingshots or their own drones while it’s in the area?

    I bet there will be some interesting case law that gets developed as drone deliveries become more commonplace.