If Bezos hadn’t taken this step first, someone additional would have; the US military’s prevalent use of the devices in Afghanistan and Pakistan has apparently mixed the imaginations of regulation enforcement bureaus and private businesses in the United States. The FAA, which has very wide administration over air safety affairs, just last month suggested a “roadmap” for integrating nonmilitary drones into the aviation scheme. Yet the FAA’s proposition of up to 7,500 unmanned airplane in the nation’s airspace within five years could prove reduced should Amazon and its rivals be permitted to take their competition to the atmosphere. Avoiding overhead collisions, not to mention the unintentional bombardment of pedestrians with verbose books, will become an pressing matter. Prime Air may not pot out, but the aviation bureau would be wise to design for it anyway.
