PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery service has been operating out of a Pontiac facility for six months, delivering packages to metro Detroit customers in under two hours, but some residents have concerns about noise, privacy and what the future of drone delivery could look like in their neighborhoods.
"They fly around all the time. When you're coming up Telegraph (Road), you can see them. Into the neighborhoods, you can see them flying around," Nicolas Kiselewski of Livonia said.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
Others are more guarded about the skies above their homes.
"It's our personal place and we'd like it to be quiet," Bloomfield Township resident David Peterson said.
I got a closer look inside the Pontiac facility to see how the operation works and bring viewer questions and concerns to the Amazon team.
The drones themselves are striking up close. They look tiny in the sky, but in person, they're pretty big. They launch from the facility in Pontiac and head right to customers' doors, delivering packages in under two hours from the time of purchase.
Lauren Wilson, Prime Air drone operations manager at the Pontiac facility, walked through the process from start to finish.
Prime Air packages cannot weigh more than 5 pounds. After being scanned and packed, they are taken out to the launch pad.
"Once we get that package received from the fulfillment center, we are generally allotted 30 minutes to process that package, create that flight and send it out for that delivery," Wilson said.
The Pontiac facility delivers within a 7.5-mile radius, averaging more than 100 drone deliveries a day and more than 1,000 each week. Wilson said the program is the result of more than a decade of work.
"We've done a lot of work with our research and development through the inception of Prime Air... and how to do this safely," Wilson said.
The service is opt-in — customers must choose it at checkout.
"We don't just automatically assume a customer wants this service. It is something that they select during their checkout process," Wilson said.
Still, some residents in Bloomfield Township last month expressed reservations about where the technology is headed.
"Sure, it might be one drone every once a great while now in the neighborhood — how much is it going to replace everything?" David Peterson said.
Previous report: Amazon Prime Air drone deliveries spark noise and privacy concerns in Bloomfield Township
Wilson pushed back on concerns about job displacement.
"It's actually a job creator, so I'm here because of this and so is my team," Wilson said. "So, we have a team of 32 people that have elevated roles within Amazon that are very well-paying."
On the question of noise, Wilson said Amazon is continuously working to reduce the sound the drones make. On privacy, she said human operators monitor every flight, but not through a live camera view.
Web extra: Video of Amazon drone delivery
"We have human eyes on the flight path during the entire duration. I will say they are not looking at the flight path from a windshield-type perspective — it's on a map," Wilson said.
The drones weigh more than 80 pounds and carry one package at a time. For some, they represent the future of delivery. For others, questions remain about what that future means for their neighborhoods.
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