As companies are working to integrate Drones into the US commercial airspace, Drone delivery company Flirtey has moved this forward by conducting its first drone flights in Reno, Nevada, as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned (FAA) Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program on September 12. It is one of 10 different test sites selected by the FAA to test commercial applications of drones with the goal of further integration into the existing air space.
The City of Reno’s in a recent press release noted that the demonstration had one operator pilot fly multiple Flirtey drones simultaneously, simulating the delivery of automated external defibrillators.
The UAS IPP is a federal FAA initiative giving 10 select states and various corporate entities the benefit of loosened drone flight regulations. The current FAA head, Dan Elway spoke to the initiative at the recent trade show Interdrone.
“Flirtey just demonstrated deliveries with multiple drones per pilot for the first time, which is a major milestone toward scaling drone delivery nationwide,” said Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny. “We’re excited to be working with our partners and the FAA to save lives and improve lifestyles with Flirtey’s drone delivery.”
Due to the time critical nature of life saving health devises, these types of deliveries are some of the first type of drone deliveries being tested. These companies also have attracted significant amount of investment with the hope to be able to expand into other areas, these include Zipline, and Matternet.
“The City of Reno is proud to partner with Flirtey, the FAA, and our local IPP partners to test drone delivery of AEDs to Washoe County residents,” said Mayor Hillary Schieve. “Public safety is our top priority, and the use of drones to provide life-saving AED technology to cardiac patients could reduce the number of deaths from cardiac arrest in northern Nevada.”
These portable device to quickly shock someone’s heart and try to save their life if they collapse, have no pulse, and stop breathing. This condition is known as sudden cardiac arrest. The cost of these devises, like the drones themselves continue to decrease in price with units costing as low as $1,000 and up. Drones can help to bring the device quickly to where the heart attach victim is located.
Experts estimate, more than 18,000 Americans have a shock-able cardiac arrest that occurs in public with witnesses each year.
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