Amazon’s Delivery Drones Are Grounded. The Birds and Dogs of This Texas Town Are Grateful

Over the summer, Amazon reduced the number of drone flights. In November, it fully adopted newer, quieter drones in College Station that deliver within a range of about 7.5 miles. Inside his house, with the double-paned windows shut and TV on, Smith could no longer hear the drones. More recently, wet winter weather has further restricted the frequency of flights. (Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson says the drones can withstand only light rain and limited temperatures.)

But things finally went back to fully normal for Smith and other residents of the woodsy communities near Amazon’s drone base in January, when the company temporarily grounded its drones nationwide for a software update process that is ongoing. Amazon plans to end its College Station lease on September 30, potentially giving the frustrated communities permanent quiet.

If Amazon had conducted the maximum number of flights outlined in its plans reviewed by the FAA, a drone might have buzzed by Smith’s house about every 58 seconds for 15 hours a day. Now, he hasn’t seen one in weeks.

Residents say they have noticed wildlife return to the area. Paul Greer, who lives near the drone depot, says he heard an owl for the first time in months. Deer also are more abundant with the drones gone, he says. Even Greer’s dog, George, is at peace. Seeing and hearing the drones during walks agitated his 50-pound bull terrier. “I don’t think anybody expected the noise to be as invasive as it has been,” Greer says.

Amazon’s Stephenson reiterates that the FAA review determined that the operations would not have a significant impact on wildlife and says that College Station officials conducted a test that found the drones operated below the city’s noise limits. “We work hard to listen to the community and to mitigate any potential impact from our operations,” Stephenson says. Since the company launched its new MK30 drone, he says, it hasn’t “received any community complaints, and the feedback from local officials has been positive.”

Some of the College Station residents who have complained about the noise say they

still largely support the testing of drones. But many believe Amazon miscalculated by locating its depot close to so many residences. The company’s first depot—now shut down—was located near businesses and vineyards in rural California. Its third and newest location is at one of its warehouses in a quiet Arizona town. A planned site in the UK is also based at a fulfillment center and largely bounded by fields and industrial parks. “I don’t think we should ban this,” Smith says of drone delivery. “If there’s a place for it, and the market needs it, then fine, but it shouldn’t mess up the peace in the neighborhood.”

Amazon’s drone sector rivals, such as DroneUp and Alphabet’s Wing, have made many more deliveries, mostly by operating out of commercial areas and forming partnerships with physical retailers. That’s not so easy for Amazon, the nation’s dominant online shopping platform. It has plenty of logistics warehouses, but they’re not necessarily located close enough to customers for delivery drones to reach them.

Location, Location, Location

Amazon has said little about how it chose the location of its College Station drone hub, which it began leasing in 2022. Residents such as Smith believe privacy may have played a role. The building Amazon leased is tucked away behind trees, limiting what might be visible to prying eyes. Stephenson, the Amazon spokesperson, says its choice of location involved “thorough analysis of the area” and “close collaboration with local leaders.”

Smith says that during a series of community events Amazon hosted in 2022, some College Station residents were miffed by how the company highlighted cookies rather than urgent necessities as items Prime Air could deliver. He and others also asked to see the drones in action to gauge how loud they might be, but the company refused. “We ended up getting it without actually hearing it,” he says. Amazon’s Stephenson says that the demonstrations weren’t possible, because the FAA didn’t approve the drones to take flight until the end of the year when commercial operations began.