Packages delivered by drones..Say Amazon

I just heard this on the news. Amazon will be delivering any package under 5lbs by drone. I never really thought this would go this far. I myself believed these drones would be used by farmers and law enforcement.
Now this may not be a big deal to someone flying GA. But some of us flying more Ultralight style Experimental aircraft this could be a problem. With all the little air strips around me, I can just see these things buzzing around at 400' right through traffic patterns to a lot of these little private airstrips.
Things could get interesting.

Tony

Has to be a reg change for that to happen. We all know how long that will take, lol, just look up the definition for "eternity"

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Originally Posted by martymayes

Has to be a reg change for that to happen. We all know how long that will take, lol, just look up the definition for "eternity"

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A regulation change in order to help a massive corporation make a few more dimes so that The American Consumer can be sold more cr@p from China more quickly? It'll happen in a relative nanosecond.

BTW, here's Amazon's video of the magical event: http://www.amazon.com/b?ref_=tsm_1_t...ode=8037720011

Looks like an overgrown clay pigeon, doesn't it? Of course, we all live in a magical place with an acre backyard, no neighbors, and all those pesky powerlines are underground. What could possibly go rwong?

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Originally Posted by Jeff Boatright

A regulation change in order to help a massive corporation make a few more dimes so that The American Consumer can be sold more cr@p from China more quickly? It'll happen in a relative nanosecond.

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Jeff, I'm sure some LightSquared investors will disagree.


I agree it's mostly hype, and it will not be practical in a rural area Tony, I think you're safe for now.

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Originally Posted by martymayes

Jeff, I'm sure some LightSquared investors will disagree.


I agree it's mostly hype, and it will not be practical in a rural area Tony, I think you're safe for now.

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I never thought these would even be used as such things as this. I am starting to wonder just what is coming and how far will this go.

We had a group come out here at my home field and put on a demo of these things. The electrics are kinda limited to battery life. But the Helicopter they demo'ed, could carry a pay load of 30 lbs, fly over 90 mph, and had a flight time of over 4 hrs. It was all programed and flew by no one. I have a small video of this machine in flight doing its thing. These machines are only limited in altitude by the FAA or AMA, for right now these are operating under AMA rules until the FAA decide what to do with them.

Safe for now..How long is that??

Tony

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Originally Posted by Jeff Boatright

Looks like an overgrown clay pigeon, doesn't it? Of course, we all live in a magical place with an acre backyard, no neighbors, and all those pesky powerlines are underground. What could possibly go rwong?

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sounds like fun to me! we live outside city limits, shooting sports are legal on our own property. 30 minutes or less delivery on the next box of ammo? great! and when it leaves, we holler

PULL!!!!

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xr/134...C037D1CFA840F3

your mileage may vary

Lets see. What could possibly go wrong? How about if the weather at a metropolitan area goes below 1,000 & 3 and a flock of these are scud running through the B, C, D & sfc E at a pre-programed 400'. Lets say that the payloads (from L.L.Bean) average 30 lbs. Assume the "airframe" weighs the same. Assume that four Nuns in their Skyhawk (shooting the GPS-36) run one down from behind and they crash into a day care center.


Who do the ambulance chasers sue? Answer: Cessna and Lycoming for sure. Don't forget L.L. Bean has deep pockets too. The "carrier" that subcontracts for UPS and has nothing but a post office box goes bankrupt. The stockholders take a tax write off.


Bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNsscXjPYhU

This Helicopter just flew a grid over the cornfield mapping it. It flew for about 20 mins and covered about 2 miles. It lands and shuts its self off. No one controlled this from start up to shut down.

Tony

Attachment 3536Attachment 3537

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Originally Posted by martymayes

Jeff, I'm sure some LightSquared investors will disagree.


I agree it's mostly hype, and it will not be practical in a rural area Tony, I think you're safe for now.

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How big is LightSquared? Congress doesn't write laws for the small fry. It writes laws for the big boys...like Amazon. "Massive corporations" is the important datapoint from my quote.

Also, I think a case can be made that the ONLY place this will be remotely physically practical will be rural areas as there is less to run in to. Maybe some suburban areas with very large backyards will also work. I agree that the economic practicality doesn't exist for rural areas.

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Originally Posted by Bob Dingley

Lets see. What could possibly go wrong? How about if the weather at a metropolitan area goes below 1,000 & 3 and a flock of these are scud running through the B, C, D & sfc E at a pre-programed 400'. Lets say that the payloads (from L.L.Bean) average 30 lbs. Assume the "airframe" weighs the same. Assume that four Nuns in their Skyhawk (shooting the GPS-36) run one down from behind and they crash into a day care center.


Who do the ambulance chasers sue? Answer: Cessna and Lycoming for sure. Don't forget L.L. Bean has deep pockets too. The "carrier" that subcontracts for UPS and has nothing but a post office box goes bankrupt. The stockholders take a tax write off.


Bob

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Eggs-zakly my point. But by then we'll be so short on nuns and Cessnas that it'll be easier to ground THEM than it will be to ground the drones. Can't get in the way of bidness! It's the 'Murkin Way! Don't you want jobs! jobs! jobs! And think of the children!

I'll just leave this right here, for food for thought....
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...wn-ahead-vote/

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Originally Posted by I_FLY_LOW

I'll just leave this right here, for food for thought....
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...wn-ahead-vote/

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And I'll just add this to the mix:

http://static.happyplace.com/assets/...caefa584db.jpg

Yikes! lol

But why pick on Drone 619?

I don't care if your name is Google or Amazon or Microsoft or Blackberry or Dell or Virgin or HP or China General Aviation or Boeing or Bombardier or Embraer or GM, this is the most ignorant, impractical pie in the sky clap trap that I've heard since the word Terrafugia was added to the lexicon.

HAL! I just laughed hot tea out of nose!

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Originally Posted by Floatsflyer

I don't care if your name is Google or Amazon or Microsoft or Blackberry or Dell or Virgin or HP or China General Aviation or Boeing or Bombardier or Embraer or GM, this is the most ignorant, impractical pie in the sky clap trap that I've heard since the word Terrafugia was added to the lexicon.

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X2
If,... it were to happen, all I see is complete chaos in the sky's.

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Originally Posted by champ driver

X2
If,... it were to happen, all I see is complete chaos in the sky's.

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Gee, d'ya think these might cause concern for all the Moller Skycars and CAFE SkyTaxi semi-autonomous PAVs that will be in the air soon?

Anyone see a problem here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWpYUQqsEk4

I wonder how long before one of these cause a problem. The AMA says they will fly at 400'. Tell these guys this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oawoP7r-CUM

Whats to stop you kidnapping the drone when it delivers your merchandise? forget the book, I'm going for the drone!
(Transpacific is probably out of its range though!)

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Originally Posted by 1600vw

Anyone see a problem here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWpYUQqsEk4

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Yea... He's out flying, and I'm stuck in cubicle hell...