Amazon Testing PrimeAir Drones in Canada

Amazon has had a heck of a time getting the FAA to decide how they feel about the online retailer’s delivery drones. I’m not going to pretend to know a single thing about the inner-workings of US airspace, only that it’s taken very seriously, and the FAA seems to think that drones present a unique problem.  So Amazon is taking the FAA out of the equation – for now – and testing their PrimeAir drones in Canada.

The service is still far from becoming a reality and these current test runs are covering the most basic factors, like obstacle avoidance and figuring what happens and what to do when a drone loses its connection. Amazon still has a long while before they will have to deal with the FAA again, and when they do, they will have a more effective, polished product.

However, when Amazon does return to the US (their home market), they have a battle awaiting them. The FCC’s recently proposed line-of-sight rule, which states that in order to operate a drone it must remain in your view at all times, would make Amazon’s PrimeAir service absolutely impossible. These rules aren’t yet in affect, and may not go into effect as they’re currently written, but Amazon has their work cut out for them regardless.