On Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Wisk, in an expansion of its partnership with vertiport developer Skyports, announced an electric air taxi network that it hinted could be ready in time for the marquee event.

Wisk and Skyports in 2022 gave an early look at their vision for an eVTOL air taxi network, complete with infrastructure for vertical takeoff and landing, or vertiports. They will function much like heliports with electric aircraft chargers to juice up Wisk’s air taxi.

The partners now are working with the Council of Mayors of Australia’s South East Queensland (SEQ) region, with which Wisk has collaborated since 2022, to devise a network for the company’s Generation 6 model.

A prototype of the flagship design has a range of 90 sm (78 nm) with reserves and charge time of 15 minutes. Like designs from competitors Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, the Gen 6 features tilting propellers that aid in both vertical and forward flight. Wisk, though, is one of a handful of firms in the industry looking to fly autonomously at launch. It projects a commercial rollout will happen by the end of the decade.

Wisk and Skyports will pick out hubs for the air taxi across the SEQ region, home to an estimated 4 million and growing. The partners said they will study regional travel patterns, conduct feasibility studies, and speak with local communities about what to expect from the service.

They also noted that the region is already preparing for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, saying they expect to plan out air taxi infrastructure in time for the big event.

“We’re excited to see this evolving industry bring high-value local jobs to SEQ and support improved services like medical and tourism,” said Scott Smith, CEO of the SEQ Council of Mayors. “To secure our place as a global destination, we must be at the forefront of adopting emerging technologies.”

Wisk is developing a similar network in Japan in partnership with flag carrier Japan Airlines.

It likewise has plans for the U.S. in the Greater Houston region of Texas and is working toward bringing the Gen 6 to Long Beach, California. Officials in Los Angeles are preparing for the introduction of air taxis ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, though it is unclear if Wisk will meet that deadline.

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Wing, the drone delivery venture of Google parent Alphabet, on Wednesday announced it is expanding to Melbourne and the Australian state of Victoria along with its food delivery partner. More than 250,000 residents can now order food, drinks, and household items by drone, straight to their backyard, directly through the DoorDash app.

Melbourne is not the first market Wing and DoorDash have targeted, and it is unlikely to be the last. The partners began offering the service in the Brisbane suburb of Logan in 2022 and in March expanded to Christiansburg, Virginia, in partnership with Wendy’s.

Wing’s delivery area in Melbourne, however, is its largest yet in Australia, covering 26 suburbs in the east of the city. The larger size was enabled via regulatory approvals from the country’s leadership.

The service will also feature the company’s highest pilot-to-aircraft ratio to date, with a single pilot assigned to monitor up to 50 drones at a time, three times more than previously permitted. The increase was approved, Wing said, because the company has been able to demonstrate the safety of its service over five years of operation in the country.

The drones cruise at roughly 65 mph (56 knots) at an altitude of about 200 feet, and all flights are preplanned by an automated system. They can continue flying in light rain or even snow. The DoorDash app will provide customers with a countdown clock to collect their delivery, which, as FLYING saw firsthand, is accurate down to the second.

Partnering with DoorDash is part of Wing’s strategy of direct integration. The company uses tools such as automation and autonomous drone loaders to streamline the order and delivery process on the merchant’s end, while the customer gains easy access to the service through one of the world’s largest food delivery platforms. DoorDash, for its part, has also not been shy about its use of autonomy.

Separately, Wing announced an expansion of its service in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area of Texas with partner Walmart. The companies added two new Walmart locations to their network, expanding it to six stores covering more than a dozen neighborhoods.

The drone delivery provider is also looking to get into healthcare through a collaboration with the U.K.’s Apian. The firms recently partnered with a collection of Irish companies to launch a healthcare drone delivery trial, including 100 flights per week of medical supplies and devices to Irish hospitals.

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The company over the weekend announced the establishment of Wilbur Air, a wholly owned subsidiary that will operate drones, air taxis, and other electric and hybrid aircraft across the future Skyportz network. 

Wilbur will have “priority access” to vertiport locations being developed across Australia. Several partners will provide aircraft to the new company to enable drone delivery, short- and long-distance passenger travel, and other AAM services.

“Wilbur Air will be establishing operational partnerships across Australia with existing small charter and helicopter companies interested in moving into advanced air mobility and flying under the Wilbur Air brand with priority access to our Skyportz vertiports,” said Clem Newton-Brown, founder and CEO of Skyportz and Wilbur Air.

American manufacturer Electra.aero is the first aircraft partner Wilbur Air has announced. The company and Skyportz signed a letter of intent (LOI) in 2021 for 100 Electra hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft.

Even among electric aircraft, Electra’s eSTOL is unique in that it can take off or land in an area as small as a soccer field. According to the manufacturer, it is the first company to deploy blown lift technology using distributed electric propulsion. Blown lift redirects slipstream flows over the aircraft’s wings into large flaps and ailerons, reducing its runway requirement to just 150 feet.

Electra in January said it surpassed 2,000 orders for its flagship aircraft, including large purchase agreements with American operators Bristow Group and JSX and India’s JetSetGo.

“Our sustainable eSTOL aircraft is perfectly suited for Australia’s diverse geography, with its ability to access short airstrips in both urban and remote areas while offering exceptional operational efficiency,” said Marc Ausman, chief product officer of Electra.

Newton-Brown, meanwhile, pointed to the eSTOL’s long range—about 434 nm—as a factor that could open up potential use cases for Wilbur.

Additionally, the aircraft cruises at 175 knots and can carry nine passengers or up to 2,500 pounds of cargo. According to Electra, it has twice the payload, 10 times the range, and 70 percent lower operating costs than designs that take off vertically, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

Another advantage is the eSTOL’s hybrid-electric configuration. Because it uses hybrid power to fuel up and recharge its batteries during flight, airports won’t need electric charging infrastructure to accommodate it.

Electra intends to begin eSTOL deliveries in 2028. The company envisions a wide range of use cases for the aircraft, including passenger transport, on-demand urban air mobility, defense, cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian aid, and disaster response.

According to Newton-Brown, Wilbur intends to announce more aircraft partners in the future, expanding its fleet with aircraft that “suit a range of uses that we intend to operate.”

Although Skyportz will give its subsidiary priority access to its network of vertiports, the company’s goal is to “break the nexus between aviation and airports” for other operators. Many AAM infrastructure developers are looking to install vertiports at airports or FBOs, but Newton-Brown believes the industry should reduce its reliance on those sites.

“We are working with governments, air regulators, and communities to establish the parameters for the introduction of vertiport infrastructure and short takeoff and landing runways,” said Newton-Brown. “If all the aircraft do is fly from airports and helipads, then there will be no revolution. We need to start developing vertiports in new locations now.”

Last week, the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems, the country’s largest AAM industry advocacy group, released its Industry Vision for the integration of eVTOL, eSTOL, drones, and other emerging aircraft into the country’s ecosystem. Like the FAA’s Innovate28 blueprint or U.K. Civil Aviation Authority’s Future of Flight action plan, it seeks to position Australia at the forefront of the AAM industry.

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The organization on Monday tapped Frequentis Australasia—a regional arm of global communications provider Frequentis—to develop a digital air traffic management (ATM) system that could safely integrate millions of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into the nation’s airspace.

Airservices said the system—which will allow it to incorporate drones, air taxis, and other uncrewed aircraft alongside traditional models—“will be at the core of Australia’s UAS traffic management (UTM) ecosystem.”

Airservices selected Frequentis as a partner following a comprehensive process that included several other applicants. It said the company “has proven experience in the delivery of operational UTM systems around the world.”

Backing up that assertion is the fact that Frequentis technology is used by the FAA, NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA). The company is also a key stakeholder in the Single European Sky, a European Commission initiative aiming to reform the continent’s ATC system through better integration of European airspace.

“Frequentis is the only company worldwide to have successfully delivered UTM solutions to multiple Air Navigation Service Providers,” said Martin Rampl, managing director of Frequentis Australia. “This strategic partnership with Airservices Australia represents another important milestone in our mission to support the Australian airspace ecosystem with safe, efficient, and compliant integration of drones.”

Frequentis has been tasked with creating a Flight Information Management System (FIMS), which will be operated by Airservices and linked to the organization’s existing ATM system.

The FIMS will allow Airservices to share flight information between ATC, traditional aircraft, and uncrewed airspace users. According to the plan, drones, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis, and other new designs could all be flown alongside traditional aircraft.

“Drones are the biggest growth area in aviation, and our partnership with Frequentis to develop a FIMS will enable us to integrate traditional and new airspace users into increasingly busy airspace,” said Jason Harfield, CEO of Airservices. “With Frequentis, we will develop a FIMS that meets the needs of Australian airspace users and ensures we can safely integrate millions of drone flights with other users.”

An Airservices analysis published last month predicted that commercial drone flights in Australia will surge from around 1.5 million in 2023 to more than 60 million by 2043, assuming battery technology and propulsion systems advance incrementally and there is a permissive regulatory environment.

That represents an average increase in drone traffic of 20 percent per year. According to Airservices, new technologies will be needed to weather the coming storm.

Per the report, drones in Australia complete about 120,000 deliveries of food and goods every year. The country is the largest market of Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet, but many drones come from homegrown companies such as Swoop Aero and even the nation’s postal service. At the same time, more recreational flyers are taking to the skies as Australia develops drone regulations.

“Most companies based in Australia are looking to invest and grow their drone fleets by two to five times over the next five years alone,” the report forecast.

The exponential growth predicted by the report is expected to be driven largely by the transportation and logistics industries, which are forecast to account for 77 percent of the anticipated drone traffic increase.

The report further predicts that Australian farmers will make 500,000 drone flights annually to monitor crops, while police will complete 300,000 flights to support frontline personnel. Another 1.5 million deliveries are expected to be made to Australian households, and about 100,000 patients could be transported to hospitals using air ambulances, such as the Vertiia design from Australia’s AMSL Aero.

Electric air taxis will also be in the mix—those models are expected to make one million flights by 2043. Airservices said several providers are targeting Australian launches coinciding with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane. Among them are AMSL and Boeing’s Wisk Aero.

The FAA has a similar plan, with launches expected to align with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Before then, air taxis are expected to fly this summer at the 2024 Games in Paris.

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The SkyCourier, a high-wing, twin-turboprop utility design, will join Hinterland’s large fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans, bringing an increase in passenger seating and payload. Textron said expansion of the Hinterland fleet will benefit the remote communities that the airline serves as well as tourism and other businesses in Queensland.

“The SkyCourier’s incredible performance makes it a reliable business tool for customers all over the world,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of global sales and flight operations for Textron Aviation. “With the ability to load, fly, unload, and repeat—along with low operating costs and maximum cabin flexibility—the SkyCourier is a game-changer in regional connectivity.”

A single pilot can operate the SkyCourier, which is designed to be adaptable to a range of passenger, freight, and special-mission flights. It is available in both freighter and passenger versions, with the 19-passenger model boasting crew and traveler doors for easier boarding. Both configurations offer single-point pressure refueling for rapid turnaround. 

• READ MORE: Textron Aviation Delivers First Passenger Cessna SkyCourier

“We are thrilled to announce our order of the new Cessna SkyCourier,” said Andrew Clair, CEO of Hinterland Aviation. “The aircraft will be a valuable addition to our fleet, allowing us to better serve our clients’ individual needs with room for 19 passengers and access to remote runways. The SkyCourier will serve as an important tool to help grow our business, and we will be proud to be the first airline customer in Australia to operate this aircraft.”

The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC engines with McCauley C779 propellers. The 110-inch, four-blade props have full feathering with reverse pitch. The aircraft is equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and boasts a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and range of 900 nm.

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“Elephant walk” is a U.S. Air Force term that dates back to World War II and refers to aircraft taxiing en masse in a single line and close formation as a method of demonstrating air power. 

Aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), French Air and Space Force, and Republic of Korea Air Force were represented in Monday’s event marking the launch of the “Cope North 2024″ quarterly bilateral exercise. 

• READ MORE: B-52 Bombers Deploy as Part of Indo-Pacific ‘Strategic Deterrence Mission’ 

“Being able to direct and oversee this amazing showing of interoperability from Andersen AFB has filled me with awe,” Senior Airman Robert Rennie, an air traffic controller assigned to the 36th Operations Support Squadron, said in a statement. “The sheer amount of aircraft and the way our allies and partners operate together with us is inspiring.”

Cope North exercises, originally established in 1978, represent the U.S. Pacific Air Forces’ largest multilateral exercise. This year, an estimated 1,700 U.S. airmen, Marines, and sailors are expected to participate, as well as 700 service members from coalition air forces. According to the U.S. Air Force, 85 aircraft are scheduled to fly 1,400 missions across three islands and six airfields.

“Throughout the exercise we aim to aggressively practice combat air forces and mobility air forces dispersal activities in concert with all six participating nations,” said Lieutenant Colonel David Overstreet, Cope North lead planner.

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The aircraft assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, arrived at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in late January, deploying as part of a Bomber Task Force (BTF). They are designated to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which is integrated into joint exercises with allies and regional partners.

“Designed to showcase the U.S.’s ability to deter, deny, and dominate, BTF missions aim to influence and dissuade aggression from adversaries or competitors,” the Air Force said in a statement.

• READ MORE: DOD: China’s Military Catching Up with Western Air Forces

The quarterly bilateral exercise—dubbed “Cope North 2024″—launches Monday and includes forces from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), Stars and Stripes reported.

RAAF deployed a C-27J Spartan multirole military transport aircraft along with 215 aviators to participate in Cope North, it said Monday.

“Exercise Cope North will provide training opportunities and invaluable experience for our people in a challenging scenario,” RAAF Task Group Commander, Group Captain Kylie Green said. “We are focused on deepening relationships with the United Pacific Air Forces and the [JASDF], and the participation of Canada, France and the Republic of Korea.”

Exercise Cope North, which was originally established in 1978, is the U.S. Pacific Air Forces’ largest multilateral exercise.

• READ MORE: U.S. Air Force Pilot Safe After F-16 Crash in South Korea 

This year, an estimated 1,700 U.S. airmen, Marines, and sailors are expected to participate, as well as 700 service members from JASDF, RAAF, French Air and Space Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Republic of Korea Air Force. According to the U.S. Air Force, 85 aircraft are expected to fly 1,400 missions across three islands and six airfields.

Cope North 24 will conclude February 23.

The BUFF is here as part of a Bomber Task Force to support strategic deterrence missions aimed at reinforcing the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region. #FreeandOpenIndoPacific@usairforce | @INDOPACOM | @AFGlobalStrike | @TeamMinot https://t.co/F1VP7BW1SA pic.twitter.com/rDIf2Ye2gg

— PACAF (@PACAF) February 2, 2024

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Airflite, which is based in Western Australia, previously received repair and overhaul approval for Daher’s series of Kodiak utility aircraft. Airflite operates from two primary facilities located at Perth International Airport (YPPH) and Jandakot Airport (YPJT). The company also operates a maintenance hangar in the southeast Australian state of Victoria at Moorabbin Airport (YMMB).

• READ MORE: Daher Partners with Czech Service and Sales Provider

Airflite’s range of services for TBM and Kodiak includes structural repairs, avionics, batteries, propellers, painting, and nondestructive testing. The company has a mobile repair team that can support Daher aircraft across the continent. Airflite also is Daher’s aircraft sales representative in Australia for TBM and Kodiak.

To qualify as an authorized TBM service center, Airflite staff members completed Daher’s training, which includes a two-week mechanic course with a Daher instructor and training covering the TBM Total Care Program and warranty coverage. 

• READ MORE: Daher Marks 1,100th Delivery of TBM Series

“We’ve been extremely impressed with the scope and depth of Airflite’s capabilities and its capacity, which is backed by rigorous internal training and a philosophy that mirrors Daher’s strategy of empowering employees in advancing the culture of safety,” said Raphael Maitre, vice president of customer support at Daher’s Aircraft Division.

Said Kristian Constantinides, Airflite’s general manager: “Our appointment by Daher as a TBM and Kodiak service center is a recognition of our level of expertise and commitment to maintaining and servicing these aircraft. It is a testament to the trust Daher places in Airflite’s capabilities.” 

Airflite said TBM and Kodiak aircraft are well suited to operations in Australia, which is known for remote airfields and vast stretches between population centers. Daher noted that Air Gold Coast, a maintenance operation based in Coolangatta, Queensland, remains as an authorized TBM service center.

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This year’s exercise, dubbed “Vigilant Defense 24,” involves more than 25 types of fighter, cargo, tanker, and reconnaissance aircraft as part of regularly scheduled training focused on joint interoperability among the Alliance, U.S. Air Force, and ROK Air Force. It is set to run through Friday.

More than 130 military aircraft are participating in the exercise meant to simulate 24-hour combat operations, Reuters reported. 

“We will maintain the best combat readiness to immediately respond to and strongly punish any provocation by the enemy through an intense training simulating an actual situation,” South Korea’s military said in a statement.

While the training exercise comes as North Korea and Russia are expanding their cooperation, it “is not intended to be threatening or provocative toward any other country,” according to the U.S. Air Force.

“Regularly scheduled, combined flying training events, like Vigilant Defense 24, are designed to enhance combined and joint training and are entirely defensive in nature, not related to any current real-world threats or situations,” the Air Force said in a statement.

The Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing, based at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, has deployed its 14 squadrons, 2,600 personnel, and 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons to fly sorties across the Korean Peninsula during the exercise.

“While the training we do year-round keeps us sharp, opportunities like this to integrate our operations with international partners are truly invaluable to refining the necessary tactics, techniques, and procedures that ensure the combined force can operate as one cohesive unit should we ever be called upon,” said Colonel Michael McCarthy, the fighter wing’s operations group commander.

Controlling Traffic

Among the exercise’s objectives is air traffic control’s acceptance of follow-on forces and coordination of increased flight operations at Kunsan AFB during a contingency operation.

“I think it is important for airmen to step away from exercises like this with the ability to remain flexible in situations that take you outside of your comfort zone,” said Air Force Technical Sergeant Paul Gary, 8th Operations Support Squadron ATC senior watch supervisor. “You may have to adapt and follow someone else’s lead in a dynamic situation, and doing so could be the difference in saving or losing lives while coordinating aircraft.”

ATC has to be proficient in coordinating all airframes, Gary said.

“We’re always prepared for whatever may come our way, including an increase in air traffic operations during a contingency operation, because for us it would be nothing more than practicing how we play,” he said.

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About 210,000 now live in Frisco, to the northwest of the fast-growing Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. But that’s not the buzzing I’m referring to. Because accompanying that influx of residents are the first flights of a new technology: drones.

I spent last week in Dallas covering UP.Summit, an annual, invite-only gathering of some of the biggest movers and shakers in the transportation world. Among the attendees were senior U.S. defense officials, state and federal lawmakers, former presidents and prime ministers, and executives from some of the top firms in the industry.

Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, fell into the latter group. At UP.Summit, Woodworth detailed the next phase of the company, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet. A large part of that road map relies on Dallas, where Wing last month launched drone delivery out of a Walmart Supercenter in Frisco. It plans to add a second store in the coming months.

A Wing spokesperson gave me an inside look at the company’s newest operation, complete with a simulated delivery to show how its drones take off, navigate, deliver, and return to the Supercenter—all on their own. Read on to see exactly how Wing delivers, hear Woodworth’s vision for drone delivery, and get an outlook on the service as it starts to hit the U.S. market.

The Setup

After listening to Woodworth speak, I hopped in an Uber and headed to Frisco, where I met a Wing spokesperson in front of the Walmart Supercenter at 8555 Preston Road. I didn’t see the operation at first. But upon closer inspection, I came across a small, fenced in area in the parking lot. It took up just two rows of parking spaces and was about the size of a tennis court.

The spokesperson emphasized Wing’s ability to fit into Walmart’s framework seamlessly. After all, the largest retailer in the world needs the parking space for customers, and its associates don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to run a drone delivery operation. 

So, Wing keeps things compact and asset-light. Its store-to-door model, first launched in Australia’s Gold Coast region with grocer Coles, allows it to set up operations in the nooks and crannies of brick-and-mortar stores: in parking lots, on roofs, or in unused space nearby. Meanwhile, all Walmart workers need to do is bring orders to the fenced-in service area.

I arrived at the Frisco Supercenter just minutes before operations began at 10:30 a.m. CDT. A handful of employees were present. But they had little to do as 18 Wing drones charged on launch pads, performing routine maintenance checks on their own.

Even as orders started to come in, staffers—about five of whom were present at any given time—mostly just sat back and watched the drones do their thing. 

An automated flight planning and uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system charted the path of each suitcase-sized aircraft, accounting for factors such as weather, time of day, and the presence of other objects in the airspace. The system also flags issues as they arise and responds to them as needed (such as by grounding a drone assessed to be unfit for operations, for example.)

Ground support operators were on-site, as is the case at other Wing locations. Their job is simple: When a drone encounters an issue, it tells them exactly what the problem is and where it’s located, and the staffer makes what is usually an easy fix. For more complex repairs, drones are set aside to be shipped to a dedicated facility. But there were no hiccups when I was present.

While there was also a pilot at the Frisco site, he was only there for me. The flights I witnessed were actually overseen from a Remote Operations Center in another Dallas suburb, Coppell, about an hour’s drive away.

That facility and another near Wing’s Palo Alto, California, headquarters control the company’s operations nationwide, including its service in Christiansburg, Virginia. Pilots at these centers are akin to air traffic controllers, watching dots on a screen.

All of that automation and remote oversight left Walmart associates with a simple task: Bring orders out to the drones. From there, a Wing order loader attached the payload to the drone’s tether, using a tablet to match it to the right aircraft.

Soon, staffers will have even less to do. Wing recently introduced the AutoLoader, a new piece of tech that will allow workers to leave containers out for the drones to pick up themselves. The company demonstrated the concept at UP.Summit, likening it to curbside pickup.

How It’s Delivered

The Wing spokesperson simulated a delivery so that I—and now you—could see the whole process in action.

The order (a water bottle) was sent to the order loader, who waited for the drone to rise and release its tether before attaching a small, Walmart-branded container. Then, the aircraft ascended and zipped off to its destination, a nearby staging area.

Initially, the buzzing was pretty loud. But it quickly faded into the background as the drone reached cruising altitude, making it difficult to hear unless you were listening for it.

In the air, it cruised at 65 mph (56 knots) at roughly 200 feet, beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the ground crew. Because flights are preplanned, the drone accounted for how conditions such as wind would affect its battery. Still, onboard sensors kept an eye out for any unexpected changes, and the spokesperson said the drone could continue flying in moderate rain or even snow.

As we walked to the staging area, a countdown timer on the Wing app gave us an ETA. The spokesperson assured me this was exact, since the entire route was planned in advance. Sure enough, like clockwork, the drone emerged on the horizon on schedule, descending to about 25 feet before lowering the order to the ground with its tether. If pulled, the tether and payload would release and the aircraft would return to the parking lot.

A countdown on the Wing app estimated the delivery time down to the second. [Jack Daleo/FLYING]

Finally, water bottle in hand, I walked with the spokesperson back to the staging area, where the drone returned to the landing pad just six minutes after the order was initially placed. That’s far less time than a delivery driver would need to complete the trip. While the service is still relatively small, Wing envisions those same benefits for retailers nationwide.

Wing Is Not Winging It

Some drone delivery companies have struggled to garner customers due to overly ambitious plans, premature launches, or some combination of the two. Wing, with its deliberate approach, is not one of them.

In the 30 or so minutes I spent at the Frisco Supercenter, I saw at least 10 organic orders come in from customers. Residents within 6 miles of the store can pick from over 1,000 items (the most popular being rotisserie chicken), including fragile items like eggs, since the container locks into place in the air to prevent swaying. Frozen foods such as ice cream are also on the menu, even in Texas, because delivery times can be as fast as three minutes.

The store—combined with another, unnamed Supercenter that will begin service later this year—is expected to serve about 60,000 households. And customers have been clamoring for Wing to add even more coverage in the region, according to the spokesperson.

But Dallas is just the tip of the iceberg. Wing so far has completed more than 350,000 deliveries, with the vast majority happening outside the U.S.

The company got its start in Canberra, Australia, in 2019, expanding to the suburb of Logan and adding service in Helsinki later that year. To date, Logan is the company’s largest service—on some days, it handles over 1,000 deliveries, or one every 25 seconds. Partnerships with restaurants such as KFC have given its Australia business a boost.

Recently, Wing expanded operations in Queensland with property development group Mirvac and on-demand delivery provider DoorDash, which has an integration with the company’s service. Instead of using the Wing app, Queensland customers simply place their orders on DoorDash and select the drone delivery option.

In the U.S., operations are less substantial. Wing began serving Christiansburg, Virginia, in 2019, where one couple has received more than 1,200 deliveries. Outside Christiansburg and Dallas, it’s largely been limited to testing and demonstrations: A delivery of Coors beer and peanuts to Coors Field in Denver, the drop-off of a ceremonial tee-off golf ball for the Sports Illustrated Invitational, and some testing near its Palo Alto headquarters and Hillwood’s AllianceTexas.

Wing is also partnered with Walgreens to expand store-to-door service in the U.S. and is working with Hillwood to prepare a special delivery facility at Frisco Station, a mixed-use development not far from the Supercenter.

Speaking at UP.Summit, Woodworth was bullish on Wing’s domestic prospects. He emphasized a few tricks the company has up its sleeve, such as the Wing Delivery Network philosophy it revealed last year. The decentralized, automated system will share resources across each of the company’s service areas based on spikes and lulls in demand. That way, Wing can send capacity wherever it’s needed, allowing it to service larger, more populated areas.

Woodworth also highlighted Wing’s Aircraft Library team, which develops new drone configurations based on components the company already uses. The idea is to help meet the unique payload, range, or other requirements of its customers. Then there’s the AutoLoader, which figures to make matters significantly easier for store associates.

Combined with a small ground footprint, high levels of automation, and APIs (like the one for DoorDash) to integrate drone delivery directly into customers’ sales channels, Wing’s new tools should push it toward offering a service that’s fast, cheap, and good—not just two of the three—as Woodworth put it.

Walmart will certainly hope that’s the case. The retailer is looking to jumpstart its drone delivery business, which it said has completed just 10,000 deliveries over the past two years. That’s despite operating a total of 36 hubs across seven states in partnership with DroneUp, Flytrex, and Zipline, the industry leader in terms of sheer volume with 700,000 deliveries and counting.

According to McKinsey, Zipline and Wing are not the only key players in the space. It said more than 10 drone operators made at least 5,000 commercial deliveries in 2022, delivering nearly 875,000 packages (an 80 percent increase over 2021). And with 500,000 deliveries completed through the end of June, the company forecasts over 1 million by year’s end.

The majority of these are healthcare deliveries centered in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, largely owing to Zipline’s dominance. But per data from McKinsey, North American market share is on the rise this year, while the European market is fading.

The North American market would get a lift from more clarity on BVLOS operations. An FAA committee began developing regulations in 2021, but there is still no final rule in sight. That could change with the passage of the House FAA reauthorization bill, which calls on the agency to produce a BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking within four months of its effective date.

As things stand, Wing operates BVLOS under a Part 135 certificate, becoming the first drone delivery firm to obtain one in 2019. But the process is often expensive and lengthy, with Zipline, Amazon, UPS Flight Forward, and Flytrex partner Causey Aviation Unmanned holding the only other approvals. 

The cheaper, shorter alternative is a waiver to section 91.113(b), which the FAA awards intermittently. Recently, Zipline, UPS and a few other firms successfully took this route. 

But a final BVLOS rule would allow Wing and others to scale, expanding current service areas and adding new ones in places spread out, hard to reach, or obstructed by obstacles (such as tall buildings). It could also reduce costs by allowing drone firms to assign a single pilot to multiple aircraft, as Wing does, and offer customers a simpler path to sustainable operations as executives focus increasingly on ESG initiatives.

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The post How It’s Delivered: Wing Gives Us a Glimpse of a Future with Drone Delivery appeared first on FLYING Magazine.