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Senate hears about Wing drone delivery; company to demonstrate at Liberty Plaza
Summary
Senators were briefed on Wing, the drone delivery service owned by Alphabet, and were invited to a noon demonstration at Liberty Plaza showing small vertical-takeoff fixed-wing drones used for retail and restaurant deliveries.
Senators were briefed Tuesday on Wing, the drone delivery service operated by Alphabet, and invited to a demonstration at Liberty Plaza that day.
A senator who chairs the Science and Technology committee described Wing’s delivery aircraft as “little 11 pound drone delivery planes” that take off vertically and then fly at about 65 mph to deliver goods. The lawmaker said Wing has made more than 450,000 deliveries since launching operations in 2021 in other U.S. metro areas and that the company is preparing to expand to Metro Atlanta.
Why it matters: Drone delivery raises questions about local airspace, safety, package routing and municipal regulation even as it promises faster delivery for retail and food-service customers. The senator encouraged colleagues to attend a 12:30 p.m. demonstration across Liberty Plaza.
Details provided on the floor included examples of current operations — restaurant and retail deliveries in Dallas–Fort Worth — and the expected capabilities of the aircraft: vertical liftoff and airplane-style forward flight at highway speeds.
Ending: The senator said the demonstration is intended to help legislators see the technology up close as companies that operate in Georgia begin exploring local deployments.
