Local brewery Lakemaid was
testing a new drone delivery system to airlift frosty cases of beer to fishermen
holed up in ice shacks on Mille Lacs Lake. After spotting a Lakemaid
YouTube video that went up last week of one of the unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) on a test run, the Federal Aviation Administration contacted Lakemaid and
told the company to stop.
Unfortunately for Lakemaid fans
and anyone else dreading a walk to the corner store, it's currently against the
law to fly drones for commercial purposes or above 400 feet in the United
States. The FAA is working on a comprehensive set of rules and regulations that
will pave the way for commercial drone flight, but the legislation won't be
ready until at least 2015 and drones might not be in the skies until 2017.
Until then, thirsty fishermen
must obtain their beverages through old-fashioned terrestrial delivery
methods.
The great beer grounding of 2014
might just be the issue that will turn Americans into pro-drone advocates. A WhiteHouse.gov petition has already gone up, asking the Obama
administration to issue Lakemaid an airworthiness certificate. So far, 183
thirsty UAV advocates have signed the petition (only 99,817 signatures to
go!).
Kentucky Sen.
Rand Paul has previously expressed his support of aerial beer delivery on
Twitter. In August he said "Perhaps I am not against ALL drones!" and linked to
a news story about a drone delivering beers during a music festival in South
Africa.
Only amateurs
are allowed to fly drones at this time, and they're limited to small
vehicles under 55 pounds. They can only operate the aircraft for fun, not for
profit, and they must adhere to local and federal laws. For example, drones are
not allowed to cruise over populated areas.
Some groups have received
exceptions to test drones for research purposes.
"While we are evaluating many
potential uses of [UAVs] as we move toward their safe integration into the
nation's airspace, commercial operation of such aircraft is not yet allowed,"
said FAA spokesperson Elizabeth Cory in an e-mail.
Announcing plans to deliver
goods by drone has been a popular publicity stunt for U.S. companies over the
past year. On a recent "60 Minutes" segment, Amazon demonstrated a drone
delivery system it's working on for packages. The company conducted the tests
outside the country to avoid breaking U.S. law. In June, the Domino's pizza
chain said it was developing a drone capable of delivering up to two pizzas.
The FAA has asked other
companies and institutions to ground their drones in the past year. The agency
has contacted a company in Wisconsin that used drones to capture aerial footage
for real estate. And the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska
received a cease-and-desist letter for its attempts to use drones for reporting
purposes.
Even once FAA regulations are in
place, we likely won't see the skies filling up with beer deliveries. Interested
companies will have to get proper training and licenses.
"We are concerned about possible
careless and reckless operation, especially if someone on the ground is hurt by
an object or objects falling from the [UAVs]," said Cory, citing the FAA
regulation that prohibits careless flying.
Delivery of goods is expected to
be a small segment of future drone market. The bigger commercial uses will focus
on agriculture, law enforcement and aerial photography.
Delicious test cases like beer
and fast-food delivery might be gimmicky, but they can help ease the public's
concerns about drones in the sky. The technology is mostly known for its
military applications, and civil liberties groups are concerned about drones
being used for surveillance by law enforcement. Local residents in Deer Trail,
Colorado, have even attempted to pass a law that makes it legal to shoot down
drones with the proper drone hunting license.
But the next generation of
friendly drones aren't all packing weapons or collecting data for the NSA. Some
just want to bring you a nice cold one and maybe a slice without getting stuck
in traffic.
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