Report says Amazon test-flying drones in B.C.
Former NASA astronaut and designer of Boeing 787 wingtip are also part of the process
It’s no secret that Amazon.com hopes to one day deliver purchases to your door via a flying drone, but Canada’s role in developing the technology is pretty hush-hush.
The Internet retailing giant confirmed it’s testing the drones in B.C., but is not saying where.
“We are rapidly experimenting and iterating on Amazon Prime Air, working to make it a reality,” Amazon spokeswoman Kristen Kish said in an email.
She said the company’s goal is to deliver packages within 30 minutes of ordering.
“This includes controlled flight testing in multiple international locations, including outdoors at a rural test site in Canada,” Kish said.
When asked where the drones were being tested, she replied, “As I’m sure you can appreciate, that’s something we do not disclose.”
A story in the Guardian newspaper in the U.K. identified the location as B.C. and said its reporter was invited to watch “the company’s formidable team of roboticists, software engineers, aeronautics experts and pioneers in remote sensing — including a former NASA astronaut and the designer of the wingtip of the Boeing 787” test the drones.
“Amazon has acquired a plot of open land lined by oak trees and firs, where it is conducting frequent experimental flights with the full blessing of the Canadian government,” the article said.
Federal permission called a “special flight operations certificate” is needed to fly a drone in Canada and operators must follow rules, such as respecting the privacy of others and flying only in daylight and good weather.
“Transport Canada issued an SFOC to Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, a Canadian-owned arm of Amazon on Dec. 17, 2014,” spokeswoman Sara Johnston said in an email.
It’s valid for a year, but Johnston declined to provide details.
She also said Transport Canada is “proud to be a world leader in UAV safety” and that has helped Transport Canada promote growth” of the “unmanned air vehicle” sector. The number of SFOCs issued last year was 1,672, up from 66 in 2010.
According to the Guardian, Amazon is testing its drones in Canada, about a half-kilometre from the U.S. border, because it’s forbidden in the U.S.