FAA Puts a Stop to Beer Delivery Drones

Lakemaid, a beer brewery in Wisconsin, came up with the idea to fly their beer to customers on the shores. Instead of leaving their fishing spots to get some cold refreshment, the local fishermen were delighted to see the beer delivered to them by way of a drone. The success and wonder of this operation didn”t last very long. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called the company and informed them that their drone was against the rules. It is illegal to fly drones for commercial purposes or more than 400 feet in the air in the U.S. Needless to say, many customers were disappointed. The company was disappointed, too.

Drone

Image Source: Pixabay

The company has already filed a petition. They have also created waves on social media networks. The president of Lakemaid, Jack Supple, said that he plans to see how the FAA regulations develop within the next year before he takes a solid action. There may be a new loophole where a different model of drone can be used. One has to admit that this was a smart public relations move for a small business in Wisconsin. They are now getting more national attention than they ever could have expected without this delivery trick.

What makes this development so fascinating is the method of delivery. One person asked Jack Supple about the possibility of delivering the beet via rockets. He shrugged off that suggestion by lauding the practicality of the drone delivery system. The drones can easily drop the beer into the snow near the location of the fisherman so that it doesn”t break and so the fishermen don”t have to move very much to get their beer. These toys, once relegated to Hobby shops, are definitely a delivery method that will likely one day take the world by storm. Small businesses would be able to reach people for delivery that they would”ve never reached prior to this invention.

If more businesses can begin to experiment with a drone for delivery services, then transactions could be changed forever. People would be more willing to purchase goods from a company that can quickly and easily deliver the goods from the air. There could also be some safety concerns. How would the FAA or even the population be able to figure out if a drone was a friendly delivery drone or an attack drone sent to do damage? Perhaps commercial drones could be specifically designed and labeled so that there is no confusion.

It”s certainly true that businesses are always going to look for advantages in their daily commerce. As more technology becomes available, there will be more experimentation in drones such as the one used by Lakemaid. Time will tell about the successes of these endeavors. The winners are both the businesses and the consumers. The consumers will get great products quickly and easily. This means the businesses should be able to bring in larger profits. It”s truly amazing what drones can do for the entire world as long as they are used safely and correctly for the most useful purposes.

Sahil

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Sahil is Tech blogger. He contributes to the Blogging, Gadgets, Social Media and Tech News section on TechieBin.

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