Govt. Accountability Office vs. FAA, Pyka Pelican Cargo, Flytrex Gets Part 135 Drone Delivery

 This week in drone news, we have three stories for you. The first one is the GAO. The Government Accountability Office says that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to stop dragging its feet on unmanned aircraft system (UAS) integration. Yikes. And then there’s the new Pyka Pelican Cargo Drone, a large drone. And then lastly, Flytrex is getting their Part 135 certification for drone delivery. Let’s get to it.

Govt. Accountability Office vs. FAA

Your first story this week is a bit of a sizzle between two government agencies. The first one is the Government Accountability Office, that released a report that says that the FAA needs to work harder to integrate UAS into the National Airspace System. Additionally, the GAO also says that the FAA has to better communicate the requirement and reduce the confusion when applying, enforcing the regulation.

And quite frankly, I have to say that I have to agree with that one. Now, the GAO said that they’re making four recommendations, but before I go any further in here, I do want to mention that there is a little bit of irony in this one government agency telling another government agency that they need to be better at communicating with, in this case, pilotos de drones.

Let’s go ahead and read the quote of what the GAO came up with, and then you tell me if this qualifies as good communication.

“Develop a Drone integration strategy that includes all elements of a comprehensive strategy.”

Government Accountability Office

I’m not joking. This is what they said.

The second thing they said is”

“Evaluate its current documentation to identify options to more clearly communicate how applicants can satisfy drone operational request requirements and FAA’s process for reviewing and approving operational requests.”

Government Accountability Office,

I have no idea what I just read. And quite frankly, I actually reread this quote four or five times. I think what they mean is that the FAA needs to be a bit more clear about how to apply for waivers and how to apply for exemptions. And that, I have to agree with. It’s a bit of a mess right now if you want to apply.

It’s a one-off. Everybody gets a different kind of approval. A different rejection if you get a rejection. So yes, I think the FAA definitely needs to work on that. I’m pretty sure everybody at the FAA involved with this would actually agree that it can be a little bit easier, but I think their hands are tight on a lot of different things. If you want to learn more about this document from the GAO, I actually recommend that you download it.

It’s a lot of government talk, let’s put it this way. All right, let’s move on to the next story.

The Pyka Pelican Cargo Drone

Now, your second story this week is about a newly released drone from PYKA. It’s called the Pelican Cargo Drone. The company is based in California. They say that the drone has a range of 200 miles (ca. 322 km). And in a usable cargo load of 400 pounds (ca. 181 kg). and then also 66 cubic feet (1.87 m³) of cargo space.

Now, obviously, this is not your typical drone. This is a much larger drone. They said they’re currently in testing and that Pyka has secured some pre-commitment for at least 80 orders, which is really cool. The cargo is fully electric, and the goal is to deliver to remote locations. And then to reduce the time and energy required to deliver or move cargo.

This is actually one application where I’m glad to see that drones will be starting to do some of the work.

Flytrex receives Part 135 Certification

A new third story this week is Flytrex, which has received a Part 135 certificate for drone delivery specifically to deliver fast food. They say that they will allow delivery to 82 million people across the US.

They’ve already partnered with Jersey Mikes, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Papa John’s, and Wendy’s. Now, this is a great way to turn your $8 Starbucks into a $10 Starbucks.

All right, we’ll see how this is actually going to go as far as drone delivery for fast food as opposed to other drone deliveries.

We reported in the last couple of weeks on some trouble on that side, so we hope that they actually succeed on that.

All right, that’s it. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and then I’ll see you next week. You have a great weekend!