After almost a year of planning, Amazon’s controversial drone delivery program will soon be taking flight in Chicago’s south suburbs.
On Monday, residents got their first look at the drones themselves and learned more about the Prime Air program at an open house staged at the Tinley Park Convention Center.
“Its bigger than i thought it would be,” said Terry Throw, who lives about a mile from an Amazon warehouse. “Hopefully it will be alright flying around up there, but we will see.”
Her husband, Tim, was more optimistic.
“I like it a lot, it’s the wave of the future,” he said.
The battery-powered, propeller-driven, unmanned aircraft will soon be flying over backyards in the area, making Amazon deliveries in two hours or less, for about $5 extra on your bill.
According to Amazon’s senior manager of its Prime Air Program, deliveries will start from the grounds of its warehouses in Matteson and Markham to leverage the millions of products stored in those buildings.
“If a customer is within eight miles, they will see drone checkout as an option when they place their order,” Josh Bundage said.
Customers will also see a satellite picture of their house and be able to select exactly where the drone will drop the package.
For now, the entire order must fit inside a box slightly larger than a rectangular football. Everything inside can’t weigh more than five pounds. Heavier orders with multiple items will be split between several drone deliveries.
“I just think it’s cool: I just wish they would deliver bigger packages,” said Larry Phillips who came to see what Amazon was offering.
“It’s going to be something new and different but its going to be very intriguing and awesome for your neighbors to see your packages come to the door,” said Phillip’s friend, Prince Cutts.
Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa said his team has been working with Amazon on the details of drone delivery.
The mayor said he is concerned about thieves following the drones, which fly at less than 400 feet off the ground.
He also said he has been assured by Amazon that there are protocols in place should something go wrong with a drone flight.
“How they deliver the package is important; making sure it doesn’t harm property, a person or even a pet,” he said. “They have vetted this well to make sure everything is going to be safe.”
Bundage admits there have been problems, including drone crashes, in other markets served by the Amazon Prime Air service.
He said the drones, which fly with the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, are safe.
“There is a tremendous amount of redundancy built into the drone. And that’s kind of the backbone of the program that we maintain this very strict aerospace rigor and we are able to account for some of these unforeseen instances,” he said.
Prime air service in the south suburbs is expected to start in late spring or early summer.
