Delivery Drones: Will Amazon Air See the National Airspace?

What the paper says

I. DRONE USE A. Evolution of Industry B. Amazon Air II. CURRENT FEDERAL CIVIL DRONE REGULATION A. The Act B. The Plan C. The Roadmap D. Rulemaking E. Special Rules F. Consequences of Present Regulation III. STATE LEGISLATION IV. PRIVACY CONCERNS V. SAFETY CONCERNS VI. HOW AMAZON COULD REACH THE NAS VII. CONCLUSION This Note will discuss impossibility of Amazon Air's goal: to bring delivery drones to national airspace and consumers' doorsteps in next five years. (1) Specifically this Note will analyze challenges facing Amazon Air. There are four main obstacles standing in Amazon's way: 1) prohibitive federal regulations, 2) underdeveloped state regulation, 3) growing privacy concerns, and 4) legitimate safety concerns. This Note will analyze legal and practical difficulties surrounding integration of delivery drones into national airspace to determine potential responses by Amazon Air. Part I will survey drone use and detail Amazon Air's specific goal--to routinely access National Airspace System (NAS). Part II will discuss federal regulation of drones and its impact on Amazon Air's timeline and objectives. Part III will focus on state regulation to evaluate what current legislation exists and how it will affect commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs). Part IV will briefly outline privacy concerns and propose actions for both regulatory agencies and also Amazon Air. Part V will convey safety concerns and solutions available to protect public. Finally, Part VI will conclude possibility of Amazon Air's plan and make recommendations to improve its chances of reaching NAS. I. DRONE USE A. Evolution of Industry Drone use has transformed from primitive military weapons delivery system to versatile tool utilized by public, private, and commercial realms. Indeed, while UAS technology was once limited to battlefield, current data indicates that over 300 drones have been granted permission to operate in NAS. (2) Moreover, this number does not include drones that have found their way into backyards, living rooms, and even local TGI Fridays. (3) In light of this boom, burgeoning drone industry has become very profitable. One aerospace consulting firm estimates that the commercial drone industry is currently worth $14 billion per and these numbers are anticipated to grow significantly. (4) In fact, by 2020, FAA projects that drone use in U.S. will increase to 30,000 drones in NAS. (5) This year, 2020, is same year that FAA anticipates UASs will have initial capability to routinely access NAS. (6) This prospective success has created hope that unmanned aircraft industry will be both monetarily lucrative, as well as source of new jobs. In that regard, it has been estimated that UAS industry will grow to a $90 billion industry that creates thousands of jobs in next decade. (7) This is significant change from early drone history, which was dominated by military use and model airplane hobbyists. (8) This increase in popularity is in part due to availability. As drones have become more mainstream, technology has also become more accessible and affordable. Consequently, UASs are being utilized in many different ways. Indeed, there are now countless applications for modem drone. (9) For example, unmanned aircrafts have been introduced in law enforcement realm (10) and film industry. (11) Drones are being used for animal and environmental protection, (12) as well as by agricultural, (13) oil and gas companies. (14) UASs have also participated in disaster response. (15) Unsurprisingly, drones have still found popularity with hobbyists. (16) This vast range of uses has now been expanded further--drones are anticipated to be used for delivery. Indeed, Amazon, popular e-commerce platform, has introduced Amazon Air, drone delivery service of future. …