A clinic in rural Virginia received its medical supplies through a very interesting method: drones.
Granted, drones are no longer a novel concept as they are being used so often by the military for defense. Private citizens, meanwhile, have flown them for aerial photography and video as well as for illegal activities such as delivering contrabands in prison.
However, flying drones commercially is still subject for regulations. Hence, the drone delivery in Virginia was the first civilian flight approved by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The delivery occurred on Friday, July 16, through Flirtey, an Australian startup that specializes in drone delivery. The original site was an airfield. Since drones couldn't carry several pounds of items, they initially planned with six trips. However, after the first two flights turned out well, they decided to load the rest on the drone's third and last flight.
Meanwhile, a health clinic in Wise County became the intended recipient. The clinic was a pop up, and it served the community of more than 2,500 only one weekend annually. The team had to secure all the medical supplies beforehand, but this also meant that some patients may have to wait a while before they would receive their prescription. Most of their supplies were kept in Oakwood, Virginia, which was more than an hour's drive through winding roads. With the drone setup, the director of the clinic, Teresa Gardner, believed it would serve at least 30 people who needed their prescriptions ASAP.
Head of Flirtey Matthew Sweeny compared the manned flight to Kitty Hawk moment, in reference to the first powered flight of the Wright Brothers onboard the USS Kitty Hawk.
This doesn't mean, however, we would be seeing more drones in the future. Aside from the fact it needed approval from the FAA, based on the proposed regulations, drones won't be allowed to travel in cities and above people. They should also not be far from the operator's sight, much more carry any object.