Drone makes first successful delivery in the US

Amelia Havanec

Amelia Havanec Jul 1, 2025

Jan 12, 2018

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                <h1>Drone makes first successful delivery in the US</h1>
                <h2><p>The Flirtey Drone carries medicine from a local airport to a rural clinic. Photograph: David Crigger/BHC/AP

The first drone delivery approved by the US government has successfully transported 24 packages of medicine to a rural health clinic in Virginia, The Guardian announced today. The drone, made by an</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/amelia-havanec-crosscut-com/">Amelia Havanec</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Jan 12, 2018</time></p>
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            <figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="http://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/7/20/1437382258270/f932c88d-41d6-4659-b5ad-9abe24b5a46f-2060x1236.jpeg?w=300&amp;q=85&amp;auto=format&amp;sharp=10&amp;s=4120531d2d9d6e68adf42127e8057ea4" class="kg-image" alt="flirtey drone" loading="lazy"></figure><p>The Flirtey Drone carries medicine from a local airport to a rural clinic. Photograph: David Crigger/BHC/AP</p><p>The first drone delivery approved by the US government has successfully transported 24 packages of medicine to a rural health clinic in Virginia, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/20/first-successful-drone-delivery-us?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">The Guardian</a> announced today. The drone, made by an Australian manufacturing company, made three deliveries in total, which each consisted of three minutes of flight time.</p><p>Amazon and other tech companies are currently <a href="http://gizmodo.com/the-faa-will-let-amazon-drones-fly-after-all-but-only-f-1692475412?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">testing drone deliveries</a> for retail purchases on a commercial scale, but the FAA places restrictions on drone weight, altitude, flight time and range, which makes implementing the technology for everyday consumers a bit of a buzzkill. But this latest news is another step toward a future of faster, everyday, unmanned aircraft retail deliveries to your home.</p>
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The Flirtey Drone carries medicine from a local airport to a rural clinic. Photograph: David Crigger/BHC/AP

The first drone delivery approved by the US government has successfully transported 24 packages of medicine to a rural health clinic in Virginia, The Guardian announced today. The drone, made by an Australian manufacturing company, made three deliveries in total, which each consisted of three minutes of flight time.

Amazon and other tech companies are currently testing drone deliveries for retail purchases on a commercial scale, but the FAA places restrictions on drone weight, altitude, flight time and range, which makes implementing the technology for everyday consumers a bit of a buzzkill. But this latest news is another step toward a future of faster, everyday, unmanned aircraft retail deliveries to your home.

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By Amelia Havanec

Amelia Havanec is Crosscut's Science and Tech Fellow. She came to Washington from her home state of Connecticut by way of New York, Florida, California and Michigan in pursuit of the perfect pint. Sh