Amazon Drones On the Horizon?

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a package. Amazon has received FAA approval to use drones to deliver packages:

“Amazon did not say when customers could expect drones to drop packages at their doorsteps. Obtaining the F.A.A. certificate was an ‘important step,’ the company said, adding that it would continue to test the technology, which has been in development for years.” — “Drone Delivery? Amazon Moves Closer With F.A.A. Approval,” Concepción de León, New York Times

Alphabet’s Wing and UPS already have FAA approval for drone delivery.

More:

“Amazon Prime Air lands FAA approval for drone deliveries,” Carrie Mihalcik CNET

“Amazon receives U.S. regulatory approval to start drone delivery trials,” Nilanjana Basu and Neha Malara, Reuters

Update:

“No, Amazon Won’t Deliver You a Burrito by Drone Anytime Soon,” Aarian Marshal, Wired

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Boeing Stops Production of 737 Max 8 Passenger Planes

Boeing has stopped production of 737 Max 8 jets until FAA regulators say they’re safe to fly. Two of those planes crashed, killing 346 people, after FAA regulators originally took Boeing’s assurances that the planes were good to go. De-regulation kills.

More:

“Boeing suspends production of 737 Max model involved in fatal crashes,” Dominic Rushe, The Guardian

Related:

“How Did the F.A.A. Allow the Boeing 737 Max to Fly?” John Cassidy, The New Yorker

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Boeing Finally Grounds All Remaining 737 Max 8 Planes

Many global air carriers stopped flying their Boeing 737 Max 8 airliners after the fatal crash of that model in Ethiopia on Monday, but President Trump (“I like stupid pilots“), who often chats with Boeing’s CEO (a major campaign donor and lobbyist) put it off until late Wednesday. By then, some US travelers scheduled to fly on Max 8s were rebooking.

Boeing had devised a software update for the Max 8 after a similar fatal crash in Indonesia in October, but FAA approval was reportedly delayed by the Trump government shutddown. In the words of the president, “God Bless Boeing.”

More:

“How Did the F.A.A. Allow the Boeing 737 Max to Fly?” John Cassidy, The New Yorker

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Feds to License Private Drones

Just because a few hundred drones almost downed a bunch of airliners and emergency helicopters, Big Gummint wants to require companies and quadcopter hobbyists to get permits for their drones. Frat boys of all ages now fear that the Drone Police will yank their joysticks if when they fail breathalyzer tests. “Registering drones — that’s the first thing the nazis did when they came to power,” said some jerk sometime real soon …count on it.

Congress Passed an FAA Extension. Here’s Why.

The House and Senate passed a six-month extension for the Federal Aviation Agency this week. Everyone in DC knew they would.

Why?  Self-interest. Senators and members of congress fly into Washington on Tuesday morning and fly home again on Thursday afternoon. They spend most of their time back home on Job One, raising money for the next campaign.

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No Drone Zone

Hey kids! The folks at the Federal Aviation Administration remind you that you can’t fly drones in and around Washington, DC.  It’s a No Drone Zone.

More:

“Drone Operator Detained in Front of White House,” Julie Zauzmer and Mark Berman, Washington Post

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Government Grounds Migratory Mercenaries

American skies are safe once more after the U.S. Government stopped sorties of soaring mercenaries. Paid pilots, cross-dressing interspecies impersonators all, have been barred from the airways by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilots from the so-called Occupy Birdland Operation Migration Air Force have been grounded and forced to stop transporting helpless Grus Americana youngsters across state lines for breeding purposes. Nine of the sexual captives are being held incommunicado at Alabama’s Chassahowitzka Federal Detention Facility.