The Drones Are Here!

It’s happened to all of us. The day is winding down. We’re home, preparing dinner for the family.

The pots and pans are on the stove, contents simmering and bubbling. It’s time to add the final ingredient to the main dish. Open the cupboard and… it’s not there!

We can finish cooking without it, but it won’t be as tasty. We can turn off everything, get in the car and go to the grocery store, but that’s not a good choice.

Hickory Creek and the surrounding area landed a third option in December 2024 when a company named Wing Aviation, LLC, began providing drone delivery of everyday products in partnership with Walmart and Door Dash.

Wing sports an impressive pedigree. Its parent company is Alphabet, which also owns Google. Since 2012, the company has safely delivered more than 450,000 packages in North America, Europe, and Australia.

“We operate according to a B2B model [Business-to-Business], which means WalMart and DoorDash are our customers, and they use our services for their customers,” said Jacob Demmitt, U.S. Marketing and Communications Manager.

“We started in the U.S. in a rural area in Virginia. We eventually made our service available to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in 2021, which was our first time in a major U.S. metropolitan area. Our goal is to go nationwide,” he said.

The lightweight drones come in at just 11.4 pounds. They’re 4.3 feet long with a 3.3-foot wingspan. They fly 65 mph and can carry 2.6 pounds, for a delivery distance of six miles.

“Cruising altitude is typically between 150 and 200 feet, and is always below 400 feet,” Jacob added. “We’re regulated by the FAA, the same as other commercial airlines such as Delta, American, etc.”

Wing’s drones fly between 10 am and 6 pm, with no night flying. The current focus is only on the delivery of small items.

It’s fascinating to watch the yellow and white drones, with their human assistants, carry out their business. Jacob says it’s too soon to judge the new service’s level of success and its impact on the store, but the response after only three months appears positive.

Indeed! The fleet of electric drones rest on their individual charging pads, enclosed by a black metal fence. There is a nearly constant flow of Walmart employees hot-footing from the store to the fleet’s launching site, carrying one or more blue-colored cartons.

A drone(s) is selected, activated, and lifts off the pad with a whirring sound. A cord drops from the drone, a package is attached and pulled up snugly underneath it. The aircrafts pilot themselves according to location information based on a geographical survey conducted by Wing prior to the launch of the service.

“The drones do not land on the ground when they arrive at their destination,” Jacob said. “Instead, the customer is alerted to the arrival via their Wing phone app. The projected delivery time is accurate to within two seconds. The drone hovers a few feet in the air, while the package is lowered gently to the ground. It only remains for one minute. If no one comes out, it leaves the package and returns to the store.”

Deliveries typically arrive in 30 minutes or less, with the record being two minutes and 47 seconds. At that rate, even ice cream can be delivered safely in 110 degree Texas summer heat!

Visit https://wing.com/get-delivery to check if your address is eligible for delivery.