For drones to gain public acceptance, they need to be quiet and keep out of sight as much as possible, says veteran aviator and Workhorse Group Aerospace President John Graber.
This fireside chat recap is from the DroneWaves Summit focusing on the role of drones in the future of last-mile package delivery and other uses.
FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Driving drones toward commercial acceptance
DETAILS: The less drones are seen and heard, the more successful they will be as premium last-mile delivery vehicles. And being certified by the Federal Aviation Administration is akin to a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
SPEAKER: John Graber, president, Workhorse Aerospace
BIO: Graber flew Huey helicopters in the Gulf War, never much worrying about how loud they were. Now, after a career in the C-suites of several airlines, he values the sound of silence in developing the Horsefly drone for commercialization as the president of Workhorse Aerospace.
VIDEO GOES HERE
KEY QUOTES FROM JOHN GRABER
“We could deliver safely tomorrow. The aircraft we’ve put together has hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of test deliveries under its belt now. We’re flying today. We delivered packages today with a test aircraft and a test truck.”
“There will be an expanding universe of uses. The neat thing about being in our business is that we do not have to define the use case because the world is beating a path to our door to do that. I don’t have to understand those things. I just have to provide safe, reliable, precise, quiet machines.”
“If a year from now, we haven’t made the papers other than for delivering things, then the industry wins. If we have made the papers with a spectacular accident of some kind or we’ve raised people’s eyebrows or a particular neighborhood doesn’t want us there, then we will have failed.”