Tommy Perez

Feasibility
Report
Tommy Perez
April 7, 2015

Legalization for Commercial

Drone Use

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Tommy Perez

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Abstract
This paper will discuss the legalization of unmanned drones for the use of commercial purposes
by companies including Amazon. The most popular drone service in the works is named
Amazon Prime Air and will be the focus of this paper. Amazon proposes to use unmanned air
vehicles with GPS technology to deliver a package directly to the customers doorsteps.
Commercial drone use is currently illegal. This paper identifies several problems with
commercial drones and also propose solutions to each of these problems.

Introduction
The ecommerce giant Amazon has witnessed an increase in competition and pressure on its
business to deliver goods as quickly as possible. Companies must constantly develop new ways
to keep customers shopping with them as opposed to the other competitors such as brick and
mortar stores where you can
purchase and receive your product
immediately. Amazon Prime Air was
reviled in late 2013 as a futuristic
delivery system using unmanned air
vehicles with GPS technology to
deliver a package weighing less than
five pounds to a customers doorstep
within 30 minutes of placing the
order with the restriction that the
delivery location must be within a
ten mile radius of a participating
Amazon order fulfillment center. There are several serious problems with the use of
commercial drones delivering packages to populated areas.

Methodology
To fully understand the topic, I have researched and provided several documents and sources
surrounding this debate.

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Proposal letter from Amazon to the Federal Aviation Administration This is a proposal
letter sent to the FAA in July of 2014 asking the FAA for an exemption to the current FAA rules
which do not allow commercial drones to fly outside even for testing and developmental
purposes.
Media release from the Federal Aviation Administration The FAA proposed regulations
that would allow routine use of certain small unmanned aircraft systems and offer safety rules
for small UAS conducting non-recreational operations. However, the rules would limit flights
to daylight and visual-line-of-sight operations.
Amazon Prime Air Wikipedia This site provides basic information on the Amazon Prime Air
project and what it offers to its customers.
International Business Times Amazon Prime Air article This web article addresses five
major problems with Amazon Prime Airs project including battery life, protection of assets,
safety, and weather.

Commercial Drone Use Problems

Amazon has many problems with Prime air that need to be addressed before the FAA can
approve commercial drone use and before Amazon can rollout this service.
Battery life Current, top of the line drones, only last 30 minutes although Amazon is only
offering Prime Air service to customers within a ten mile radius. This would mean a round trip
would be a maximum of 20 miles not including distance added to divert obstacles. If a drone
did lose run out of power it could fall from the sky bringing us to our next problem of safety.
Safety Falling drones from the sky is
only one potential safety issue. The rotors
on these types of drones rotate at 1000s
of rotations per minute. The rotors also
contain extremely sharp edges capable of
slicing through flesh and bone.
Protection of assets Commercial drones
flying at low altitudes will be susceptible
to persons who may shoot down or
disable a drone to steal to the contents of
the package or even the drone itself.

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Weather Weather can be very unpredictable. Drones will be very susceptible to wind which
could cause the drones to crash and rain which could cause the drones electronics to
malfunction and also crash.

Solutions to Commercial Drone Use Problems

Current Solution To resolve the potential problems with commercial drone use, I propose
that the Federal Aviation Administration should continue to ban Amazon and other ecommerce companies flying drones across long distances where the safety of the people is at
risk until these concerns can be resolved. However, this does not provide a concrete solution to
Amazons problem of providing a faster shopping experience to its customers.
Long Term Solutions Amazon should explore other methods to decrease the time it takes
for customers to receive their packages. Amazon could allow customers to order online and
then pick up their package at a fulfillment center. This would also cut down on shipping costs
for both Amazon and the customer. Amazon could also ship and delivery customers packages
themselves cutting out the parcel services to expedite the process.

Conclusion
The safety of the general public is at risk with commercial drone use because of the risks
associated with unmanned drones flying at low altitudes and the close proximity to people.
Until Amazon can solve, test, and implement solutions to these problems, commercial drone
use should remain illegal.