Flytrex Gets FAA Approval for Drone Delivery, Flight Over People: Backyard Delivery of Food and Retail Goods in Fayetteville, NC

Israeli drone delivery company Flytrex has received FAA approval for drone delivery and flight over people.  Flytrex says that the approval will allow Flytrex to expand drone delivery of retail goods in Fayetteville, NC.  “The newly granted waiver permits Flytrex to operate its drone system above people, allowing for the largest-scale backyard drone deliveries of goods known to date.”

Flytrex performs drone deliveries in cooperation with long-time partner Causey Aviation Unmanned.  Causey Aviation also operates as a private manned aircraft service under a Part 135.

Flytrex operates as a retail delivery service.  Through an app, customers may order items from the neighborhood Walmart, Starbucks, and other local restaurants and cafes.  Now, Flytrex will be able to offer “food, drinks and other goods to thousands of eligible households in the area who can opt-in to the service.”  Customers can follow the status of their order along its route “until the package is lowered by wire safely into their backyard.”

The FAA approval does not allow for flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS.). “Flytrex will conduct all flights within line of sight, maintaining the highest safety standards,” says the announcement.  The project demonstrates, however, just how many homes can be reached even within the bounds of VLOS flight.

“The FAA approval is important to expanding on-demand drone delivery throughout the US in compliance with the highest possible safety standards,” said Yariv Bash, Co-Founder and CEO of Flytrex. “Through this expansion, we will be able to glean valuable insight into usage and customer preferences, allowing us to further tailor our offering to meet consumer needs.With the ongoing help of the FAA, drone delivery will soon become the rule rather than the exception.”

Flytrex announced the pilot project with Walmart in September of 2020: now, more homes can enjoy on-demand drone delivery in Fayetteville.  Recent research indicates that communities given the opportunity to experience drone delivery first hand express a high degree of public approval for the program: further market research predicts the drone delivery market to grow at a 53% CAGR over the near future, as demand for same-day and quick delivery grows.

“Flytrex shares our passion and commitment to bringing the immense benefits of unmanned aerial delivery to the public, responsibly and safely,” said Jeff Causey, Founder and CEO of Causey Aviation Unmanned. “We are thrilled to announce this benchmark approval with them, and to continue providing swift and safe deliveries to an expanding number of households in North Carolina, and beyond.”

Flytrex has worked with the FAA as part of the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and the current integration initiative, BEYOND.

“Being First in Flight, North Carolina is renowned for its contribution to aviation history. Today, we continue that illustrious record by contributing to unmanned aviation history,” said Bobby Walston, NCDOT’s Aviation Director. “In working with our UAS partners over the past several years, we’ve seen the impressive advances these companies have made spearheading on-demand drone delivery in the US, and this latest groundbreaking approval is another milestone in that journey.”