This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ DroneWaves Summit on Friday.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Drone Delivery: How close are we?
DETAILS: In this session, Matt Stubbs, FreightWaves’ director of PR, talks with Wingcopter’s Bill Wimberley about developments in drone capabilities, safety and perception problems and how close we are to drones as a last-mile solution for delivery.
SPEAKERS: Wimberley is the head of business development at Wingcopter.
BIO: Wimberley is a serial entrepreneur and startup specialist in various tech industry disciplines including fintech, biotech and drone tech, otherwise known as unmanned aviation systems. As the head of business development for Wingcopter GmbH, based in Weiterstadt, Germany, he has responsibility for global business development, including strategic partnerships, and major account development.
KEY QUOTES FROM WIMBERLEY:
“The market that [our drone] addresses directly is delivery. … We save and improve lives and that is really the heartbeat of the company. … We do a lot of medical delivery and a lot of parcel and package delivery and those things matter to people. … We love some of the humanitarian projects that we have done.”
“[In regard to the FAA] we will be type certified as an aircraft. We have to be partnered with a Part 135 operator. For example, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, various helicopter companies are all Part 135, which have earned the right to actually operate in the airspace. We have a couple of partners here in the U.S. that are those Part 135 operators and [with them], along with our type certified aircraft, is what allows [us] to enter into that airspace. … You can’t just go buy a drone like ours and take off and start flying.”
“There are smart city initiatives around the world. One of them is Dublin. They are one of the front-runners realizing their city is getting crowded with delivery trucks. … This is really another great advantage of drones, being able to take some of those [vehicles] off the road.”
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