With the reassuring whirr of drones still in our recent memories, a couple of thoughts on Friday’s medical transport flights in Wise, Virginia.
First, the research flights proved that commercial delivery of medications and products in the right circumstances is indeed possible. In many respects it was a Kitty Hawk moment.
But it is important to note, the flights were research flights, not commercial deliveries — no transactions took place.
As Rose Mooney, the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, said: “This was a very controlled research environment, and of course there are many logistical and safety concerns that would need to be resolved before these deliveries could become routine. But today’s flights show the capabilities of this technology and its value to the public.”
But nothing speaks to the sheer excitement of the event better than the video and still images that came from Wise County on Friday.
