Wing, Alphabet's on-demand drone delivery service, is celebrating making a year of deliveries to residents of Christiansburg in the US state of Virginia. The service launched there in October last year, with Wing becoming the first company to operate a commercial air delivery service via drone directly to homes in the US. Residents have been able to order things like medicines, library books, food, and other essentials for delivery by drone.
Wing was launched in 2012 as part of X, Alphabet's so-called Moonshot Factory, which creates "radical new technologies to solve some of the world’s hardest problems." It is aimed at providing a fast, sustainable, and safe new means of delivery. Although Wing had run other trials elsewhere, the Christiansburg trial was the first for which it had been given an expanded Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry out commercial deliveries.
In celebrating a year of deliveries in Christiansburg, Wing released a video on YouTube (below) featuring reaction from local residents who have been using the service. It also announced that it was extending its service under a UAS initiative by the US Department of Transportation and FAA. That's good news for the residents who, as the video shows, have very much taken to the service.
Wing Deliveries in Christiansburg
Among the comments made by residents was the thought that, initially, the idea of a drone delivery service sounded unrealistic. One resident explains that Wing deliveries were initially just a novelty, but that when the COVID-19 pandemic they came to rely on the service. This is echoed by others, who say variously that it has helped them to stay away from shops during the pandemic and that it has been a relief to be able to order items for quick delivery without having to go out and worry about what they might come into contact with.
Fast-forward a year from launch and the Wing drone has become a regular sight for residents while they're out and about and they're keen to see the service expanded beyond its current partners. To date, Christiansburg residents have been able to receive FedEx deliveries, order health and wellness products from Walgreens, and request library books from Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as receive items from a number of other local stores. Local residents can sign up to join the Early Flyers program and local businesses can also apply to be part of the program and have their goods delivered around Christiansburg.