April
9 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has won approval from U.S. federal regulators to
test a delivery drone outdoors, less than a month after the e-commerce
powerhouse blasted regulators for being slow to approve commercial drone
testing.
The
Federal Aviation Administration had earlier given the green light to an Amazon
prototype drone in March, but the company told U.S. lawmakers less than a week
later that the prototype had already become obsolete while it waited more than
six months for the agency's permission.
The
FAA granted Amazon's request to test delivery drones in a letter dated
Wednesday, posted on the agency's website.
Amazon
must keep flights at an altitude of no more than 400 feet (120 meters) and no
faster than 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour), according to the letter.
Seattle-based
Amazon.com has been pursuing its goal of sending packages to customers by air,
using small, self-piloted aircraft, even as it faces public concern about
safety and privacy.
The
company wants to use drones to deliver packages to its customers over distances
of 10 miles (16 km) or more, which would require drones to travel autonomously
while equipped with technology to avoid collisions with other aircraft.
In
February, the FAA proposed long-awaited rules to try to set U.S. guidelines for
drones, addressing growing interest from both individual and corporations in
using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Amazon
did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Sai Sachin R
in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/09/amazon-gets-new-green-lig_n_7037816.html
04/09/2015
