July 17, 2019 marks four years since Flirtey, the first drone delivery service in the world, made history as the first company to conduct an FAA-approved drone delivery on U.S. soil. This historic drone delivery took place in Wise County, Virginia, during the July 17, 2015 event called Let’s Fly Wisely. Flirtey paved the way as the pioneer in the autonomous drone delivery industry when it successfully conducted six drone deliveries containing 24 different packages of medications and supplies in collaboration with NASA, demonstrating the positive impact that autonomous drone delivery technology will have on people’s lives. The company also announced today commercial drone deliveries in the U.S. are on track to begin in 2020.
“Flirtey’s Kitty Hawk moment on July 17, 2015 pioneered the commercial drone delivery industry, just as the Wright Brother’s flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903 pioneered the commercial aviation industry,” said Matthew Sweeny, Flirtey Founder and CEO. “Flirtey is now on the fast-track to begin lifesaving AED delivery and commercial package delivery to homes in the United States in 2020.”
Following Let’s Fly Wisely, Flirtey has been expanding its regulatory approvals. In May 2018, the trailblazing company, alongside the City of Reno, went on the fast track when it was selected into the FAA and Department of Transportation’s highly competitive Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP), in which only ten locations in the U.S. were selected to participate. Flirtey’s advanced technology has garnered FAA approval for the first multi-drone delivery operation in the United States, enabling a single pilot to simultaneously operate multiple Flirtey drones. As recent as March 2019, the innovative company has received approval from the FAA to run drone delivery flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing a Flirtey pilot to control drone delivery operations from a remote location. Leading the program with these regulatory approvals has put Flirtey ahead of its competitors with commercial drone deliveries commencing in 2020.
In recognition of Flirtey’s groundbreaking Kitty Hawk moment, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. is set to display the Flirtey drone that conducted the first FAA-approved drone delivery on U.S. soil in an exhibit, alongside the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Wright Flyer.
In just four years since having spearheaded a new industry, Flirtey continues to lead the way in pioneering autonomous drone delivery technology for life-saving applications as well as making commercial delivery accessible to all.
