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Walmart and Wing introduce small‑package drone delivery plan to Northglenn
Summary
Walmart and Wing presented a plan to locate a small 'drone nest' in a Walmart parking lot and described operations — short flights, limited payloads, fenced launch pads and regional coordination with FAA rules. Council pressed on hours, safety, privacy and local land‑use controls.
Walmart and drone operator Wing told the Northglenn City Council on Aug. 3 that they are testing commercial drone deliveries that would stage from a small, low‑infrastructure “nest” in a Walmart parking lot and fly short distances to nearby customers.
Ryan Ersick of Walmart Public Affairs said the nests are compact — roughly 13 to 30 parking spots, a six‑foot fence, a small kiosk and charging infrastructure — and that drone deliveries mainly target convenience items. “We celebrated over 1000000 deliveries via drone, throughout The US,” Ersick said, citing nationwide operations as evidence of demand.
Josh Bucci of Wing outlined the aircraft and operations, saying flight times are typically under five minutes and delivery windows commonly fall under 30 minutes. Bucci described the flight profile as a vertical climb above the nest to about 150 feet, horizontal cruise between roughly 150 and 400 feet, and a tethered package lowering at the delivery point. He described two example aircraft: an ~11‑pound airframe carrying about 2.5 pounds and a ~17‑pound airframe carrying up to about 5 pounds.
Presenters emphasized ground‑site controls and FAA oversight for flight operations. Wing said nests use access control and locked storage and that flights are managed from regional control centers; company staff monitor automated flights and will abide by FAA temporary flight restrictions. The company also noted downward‑facing, low‑resolution sensors for package placement and said there is no continuous live video feed available to the public.
Councilmembers asked about hours of operation, deconfliction with public‑safety drones, contingency procedures for snagged tethers or crashes, and whether pharmacy or age‑verified items could be delivered. Wing said hours typically align with FAA authorizations (the company cited a 7 a.m.–10 p.m. operating window in examples), contingency teams respond regionally, and pharmacy deliveries present chain‑of‑custody challenges being worked through with retailers and the FAA.
