COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — A commercial drone delivery service named Wing is now in its next phase before a full rollout. The firm is opening two service areas in Collin County: Frisco Station and Walgreens in Little Elm.
Wing has been taking practice flights to iron out logistics.
With the help of an app, users can set into motion a technology not so new, but a service that is.
"We fly drones all the time, so eventually we knew this would happen," said Greg Allbright, a Little Elm resident, who volunteered to participate in practice trials.
On Thursday, Allbright ordered a bottle of water using the app and within five to six minutes the bottle was in his driveway behind his home.
Once the order is placed, the retailer is notified and the order is filled and sent off using a drone within minutes. Jacob Demmitt with Wing told WFAA that the goal is to have products returned to the consumer in under 10 minutes.
"It looks different than other drones you've seen before. It has 12 vertical propellers and two forward propellers," said Demmitt.
Wing is currently operating at a former pilot site in Virginia and also in Australia. The drones can carry a limit of three pounds and is flown autonomously but monitored by pilots.
For now, only places within four miles of the service sites are able to receive the service.
"It also allows small businesses to expand their reach," said Demmitt.
Speaking of reach, the drone uses a tether to lower the product to the ground. The drone hovers above the ground 23 feet while the package is being dropped off. Once the package drops, the line retracts and the drone zooms back to its home service area.
Allbright told WFAA that he can envision a multitude of possibilities for the service. He said since he works from home, this could be convenient for his family. He can imagine using Wing to get batteries or a quick breakfast or coffee.
"Being a dad I think more about there's tons of times you can't get out," said Allbright.
Wing told WFAA it hopes to be fully operational in the coming months.