Eventually I will need one: a landing strip.
Hmm. I think I should make myself a little more clear!
I need to make my driveway look more like this:
A landing strip.
You may not know this about me, but I'm the queen of online ordering. Long gone are the days that I drove all over town (or farther) to buy something I need.
If it's sold online, most likely:
1) It will be less expensive than anything locally
2) There will be a better selection to choose from
3) I will spend 75% less time finding it
Often, if I see something I need or want in a store, I'll check the price on Amazon on my phone. If I can save money, I will go home and order it online instead. I can usually get free shipping, save on sales tax and have the item on my doorstep within a day or two delivered by one of these trucks.
But it seems like the days of packages being delivered by people and trucks are numbered!
This blows my mind! It's like the futuristic cartoon from my childhood, The Jetsons, happening in my lifetime!
Thinking back to my childhood in the 1960's, we didn't even have packages delivered in the mail. Even if my mom ordered something from the Sears Roebuck catalog at Christmas, she picked it up at the store! Besides, the mailman walked the neighborhood - he had no way to carry boxes with him.
It wasn't until the 1980's and 1990's that mail order catalogs began filling our mailboxes and we called the toll-free numbers to speak with a human being who would take down all of the information necessary to send us what we wanted.
Now, in the year 2014, many companies don't even print catalogs anymore. Online websites are used by most people for mail orders anyways.
If you watched 60 Minutes recently, you might know about this already.
Drones!
Drones are already being used in Australia by a textbook company for deliveries.
Amazon is hoping to get the FAA rules changed sometime in 2015 which would allow the company to use "octocopters" in the United States. Amazon said the octocopters will have a 10 mile radius, so you'd have to be close to an Amazon distribution center to qualify initially. And they will only carry items up to 5 pounds, which is about 85% of all Amazon deliveries. They will fly to a destination given GPS coordinates. But listen to this - you would have your package within 30 minutes!
Of course there are a lot of logistics yet to be worked out.
What will prevent people from shooting them down and stealing the cargo?
How will they know not to land on someone's head? Or roof? Or car?
Can they fly in bad weather? Snow? Rain? Wind?
Amazon isn't the only company toying with the idea of using drones. Dominos thinks it would be a fantastic way to deliver pizzas! There are a ton of very good uses too - like transporting medical supplies to those in need. And how easy would it be for Jesse Pinkman to transport some crystal meth to his dealer??? (We just finished watching Breaking Bad!)
The FAA has just approved drone testing in 6 states. The testing is expected to cover a variety of uses of unmanned aircraft including Amazon Prime Air shipping. It is thought that the testing phase could go on for 3 or more years.
That should give me plenty of time to finish my air strip.
And maybe hire an air traffic controller too!
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