Amazon dreams of blimps for flying warehouses

A patent for what Amazon calls an "aerial fulfillment center" includes drawings of how stuff you buy would be warehoused in the air, then delivered to a home by a drone dropped from the blimp. "This whole idea of having drones come down through air traffic lanes, I can't see how the FAA would ever approve that and certainly the airline industry would oppose that," said Scott Hamilton, an aviation-industry consultant for Leeham Company.

Airport flight instructor in Ohio plans drone training forum

A flight instructor at a small airport in northern Ohio is planning a seminar next month for people interested in drones as a hobby of for commercial uses. The class at the Fremont Airport on Jan. 14 will focus on helping drone operator pass a test that's required by the Federal Aviation Administration for drones weighing a half-pound or more.

Registraton open for drone user ground school in Akron

The Federal Aviation Administration recently shared data showing that nearly 23,000 people in the United States are now certified to operate small unmanned aircraft systems -- more commonly known as "drones" -- for non-recreational use. An average of 300 commercial certifications have been issued each weekday since the FAA issued new regulations in August 2016.

Nevada-based drone service delivers 7-Eleven Slurpees

Joyer was among a dozen 7-Eleven customers selected for deliveries in a Reno neighborhood last month in a partnership between the convenience store chain and the Nevada-based Flirtey's commercial drone service. The 77 packages Flirtey flew to homes in November was the first full-fledged operation of its kind in a busy, populated area, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

You cana t make phone calls in flight, but new rule hints at a change

On Thursday, the U.S. Transportation Department proposed a rule that would require airlines to tell passengers before they buy tickets that they may be “unwillingly exposed” to mobile voice calls while in the air. Actual cellular calls are currently prohibited in the air by the Federal Communications Commission, which originally adopted the ban over concerns that such phone use could affect a plane's operation.

System Lets Users Design And Fabricate Drones With A Wide Range Of Shapes And Structures

This fall's new Federal Aviation Administration regulations have made drone flight easier than ever for both companies and consumers. But what if the drones out on the market aren't exactly what you want? A new system from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is the first to allow users to design, simulate, and build their own custom drone.