Amazon today was granted an “experimental airworthiness certificate” from the FAA that will allow the Seattle company to test its unmanned aerial vehicles outdoors in preparation for drone delivery.
The FAA said it “typically issues experimental certificates to manufacturers and technology developers to operate a UAS that does not have a type certificate.”
This is a key milestone for Amazon, which had considered testing its drone delivery operations outside of the U.S. as it waited for FAA approval. However, the FAA will only allow Amazon to fly drones at 400 feet or below during the day, and the devices must remain in visual line-of-sight of the pilot.
As per all companies granted the “experimental airworthiness certificates,” Amazon is also required to provide data to the FAA each month that includes details like number of flights taken and software malfunctions, and pilots must have an approved flying certificate and medical certification.
Despite today’s news, it’s still unclear if Amazon will be able to deliver products by drone in the U.S. Last month, the FAA released proposed rules for commercial unmanned aircraft systems that included limits which, if approved, could prevent Amazon from pursuing the full extent of its vision for drone-based package delivery in the country.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the drone delivery plan in 2013 on 60 Minutes, part of a broader effort by the company to increase delivery speeds for customers. “I know this looks like science fiction,” Bezos said at the time. “It’s not.”
We’ve reached out to Amazon for comment on approval of the FAA certificate and will update this post when we hear back.
