Amazon Prime: local residents complain about noisy delivery drones
Amazon delivery drones seem to cause disturbing noises during take-offs and landings. Complaints are piling up in College Station, Texas.
An MK27 drone from Amazon.
(Image: Amazon)
Amazon's MK27-2 delivery drones, which have been optimized for particularly quiet operation, are apparently making louder noises than expected. This was reported by Business Insider on Sunday. People living in the current test area for Amazon goods deliveries in College Station in the US state of Texas are increasingly complaining about the noise caused by the delivery drones. The complaints are addressed to the local city council.
Amazon's delivery drones, battery-powered hexacopters of the type MK30 and its predecessor model MK27-2, are actually only supposed to make a low operating noise. The developers of the drones had optimized the electric motors and rotor blades in order to produce as little flying noise as possible. In particular, the MK30 drones, which are still in prototype status and are smaller than the MK27-2, have been noise-optimized by using new propellers.
Like a swarm of bees
In Texas, however, it is mainly MK27-2s that are in use. They are said to make noises reminiscent of a swarm of bees, writes Business Insider. The noise level is said to be very high. Measurements have shown that the sound pressure is between 47 and 61 dB, as City Manager Bryan Woods claims to have discovered. However, this means that the drones are still in a rather moderate range. It gets very loud from around 70 dB.
However, Amazon's delivery drones regularly take off from College Station: Up to 200 flights take place per day. In May, Amazon submitted an application to the Federal Aviation Administration (PDF) to increase the number of daily flights to 469. The local mayor had already pointed out the noise problem in a statement. Residents in the vicinity of the Prime Air base are particularly affected. They are particularly exposed to the frequent take-offs and landings of the delivery drones. Amazon has not yet commented on the noise problem.
(olb)
