Wing Aviation have commenced drone delivery to new suburbs including Forest Lake, Heathwood Pallara and Calamvale.
Wing, in partnership with DoorDash, have delivered via drones to Logan from Grand Plaza Shopping Centre in Browns Plains since late 2022, and announced their expansion to South-West Brisbane in mid-April.
Wing Aviation head of public policy Jesse Suskin addressed common concerns over privacy and safety issues.
“I would say that for people who have concerns about our drones breaching privacy, we’ve had a perfect track record in Logan so far,” he said.
“Our pilots don’t have live access to camera feeds from the drones, since the drones fly themselves, and one pilot oversees all the airborne drones in the area.
“Our drones fly at a height of 45 metres, as quickly as 110km/h, so our cameras can only identify potential obstructions like buildings and trees.”
In a media release mailed to Forest Lake residents in mid-April, Wing Aviation described further guidelines they must comply with.
Wing’s personnel and operations are subject to the approval of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
The drones, made of styrofoam, weigh five kilograms and are designed safely to fly over neighbourhoods.
Addressing noise concerns, the media release stated that the noise emitted by drones are much shorter in duration than a range of common noises you would normally experience in a suburb.
“Drone noise is regulated, and our drones operate in accordance with the noise approvals provided by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development Communications and Arts.”
Jesse explained that while drone delivery can be associated with a sedentary lifestyle, there are practical and environmental benefits to the project.
“People find our service very useful, particularly those who are short on time, since our drones deliver in a few minutes. They avoid traffic and have designated parking spots in our Grand Plaza depot,” he said.
“Our delivery drones also take cars off the road, and in turn, you get less carbon emissions.
“How we operate is all overseen by CASA, the same organisation that regulates Australian Airlines. We have never had an event that has led to injuries to people.
“If you have specific feedback to share, please get in touch with us at wing.com/contact.”
