The Old Dominion is about to start looking a bit like a science fiction movie.
The future is now. Just like George Jetson sent his wife and kids off in autonomous vehicles, you may someday soon be receiving a package from Amazon delivered by drone.
“Yeah we’re experiencing a new phase closer to the Jetsons than we ever have before,” says Mark Blanks.
He’s director at Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, which worked with a company called Wing to acquire an air-carrier certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This is the first drone company to get approval from the federal government to make these kind of deliveries.
“Air carrier certification is the same process that a cargo company might use to deliver packages across the country to airports," says Blanks. "But it is a form of commercial aviation, which is different than general aviation or recreational flying. It’s also different than the way that most commercial drones have been regulated.”
Residents in Blacksburg and Christiansburg are about to be first people in the country to receive packages delivered by drones.
RADIO IQ is a service of Virginia Tech.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
