GenX wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 6:19 pm
I bet Millard Airport is super thrilled with this.
I don't know that Millard Airport will see much if any operational impact. UAVs are required to yield right of way to all aircraft: 14 CFR SS 107.37 states "Each small unmanned aircraft must yield the right of way to all aircraft"
It would behoove Amazon to avoid MLE airspace, but they're not breaking new ground here - drone delivery is successful in many other parts of the country and this issue would have been addressed via FAA approval well before Omaha entered the chat. I'd say it's a non-issue.
GenX wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 6:19 pm
I bet Millard Airport is super thrilled with this.
I don't know that Millard Airport will see much if any operational impact. UAVs are required to yield right of way to all aircraft: 14 CFR SS 107.37 states "Each small unmanned aircraft must yield the right of way to all aircraft"
It would behoove Amazon to avoid MLE airspace, but they're not breaking new ground here - drone delivery is successful in many other parts of the country and this issue would have been addressed via FAA approval well before Omaha entered the chat. I'd say it's a non-issue.
Also, except for takeoff/landing, Airplanes should be above 1000' anyways so just avoid the airport pattern and they should be good to go.
GenX wrote: Thu Jul 16, 2026 6:19 pm
I bet Millard Airport is super thrilled with this.
Per FAA guidance document FAA doc Amazon's nav software is set to avoid all airfields / heliports (Millard and Lakeside Hospital are the only 2 within the radius)
Rumor has it that drone deliveries started yesterday. Or at least that they're test flying the drones around. Several FB posts with drone pictures around Papillion freaking people out that weren't aware....
Ben wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2026 4:31 pm
Rumor has it that drone deliveries started yesterday. Or at least that they're test flying the drones around. Several FB posts with drone pictures around Papillion freaking people out that weren't aware....
A buddy of min works fairly close to Amazon and said he has seen two so far today.
Yeah, my wife was placing an order this morning for some stuff and it offered us free drone delivery if we spent $50 on qualifying items, so it's definitely started. We took the option to see how it works. Very curious...
almighty_tuna wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2026 6:10 pm
Anyone placing bets on how long it will take for someone to:
1. Call the news with a frivolous drone complaint
2. Shoot one down
Probably a reason they chose the location they did. Not surpising they also chose KC KS for the rollout down there. Most of what I buy comes out of the State street DC, and I won't be surprised if its unlikely to ever deliver out of that building. Too risky.
So I would say a frivolous complaint is much more likely. Within a week or two.
We just received a delivery via drone; here's what it looks like. Amazon gave us three options: driveway, backyard, or side yard. They gave us a two-hour window initially, and then a 20-minute heads up prior to delivery.
The drone is every bit as big as you imagine. It hovered over our driveway about 50 feet in the air for 30 seconds or so, then descended to about 10 feet away and dropped the box onto the ground. Wild.
WBR_Tom wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2026 7:02 pm
We just received a delivery via drone; here's what it looks like. Amazon gave us three options: driveway, backyard, or side yard. They gave us a two-hour window initially, and then a 20-minute heads up prior to delivery.
The drone is every bit as big as you imagine. It hovered over our driveway about 50 feet in the air for 30 seconds or so, then descended to about 10 feet away and dropped the box onto the ground. Wild.
Funny, I ordered a small item to test it out this Monday... I told some of the neighbors on our street and all of the kids ran outside to watch it.
However, when it lowered itself to drop the package, it went into my backyard. I noticed on the map that Amazon has of our home they have the drop pin in our backyard. I couldn't run through my house fast enough to record it, LOL. It's interesting to see it simply opens a chute and drops the box. Guess that's good to know in case you order something fragile!
One of my daughters thinks it's spooky and says it's the first sign of robots taking over the earth. Once they figure out how to pickup weapons, I'd say we're screwed.
How loud is it? I know some people who live in the neighborhood adjacent Prairie Queen.. expect they're going to be in the flight path. Glad I'm way up in Bennington.
Shoot for the Moon... if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
A couple notes I've received about the drones from Oracle Aviation y'all might find interesting:
As you may know amazon has begun package delivery via drones from their facility at highway 370 & 144th st in omaha. The drones are limited to a departure altitude of 200-250ft and a return altitude of 370ft agl at a speed of 58 kts
Follow up....
As per the Lincoln FSDO. Amazon drones are not to operate within 1nm of runway centerline and 2nm from each end of runway. Max altitude is 370agl, 58kts. Drones have ability to sense nearby traffic. No fly zones will be based on high volume of ADSB data.
almighty_tuna wrote: Sun Aug 09, 2026 1:12 am
A couple notes I've received about the drones from Oracle Aviation y'all might find interesting:
As you may know amazon has begun package delivery via drones from their facility at highway 370 & 144th st in omaha. The drones are limited to a departure altitude of 200-250ft and a return altitude of 370ft agl at a speed of 58 kts
Follow up....
As per the Lincoln FSDO. Amazon drones are not to operate within 1nm of runway centerline and 2nm from each end of runway. Max altitude is 370agl, 58kts. Drones have ability to sense nearby traffic. No fly zones will be based on high volume of ADSB data.
Very interesting, and that may explain why despite me living within 6 miles of the facility I'm apparently not eligible. It would be 8 miles around the end of the runway. That also obviously limits the extent of the "7.5 mile radius" to the North with the airport almost directly north of the distribution center.
Came across several Amazon drones while up in the Helicopter today. A couple times they were nearly the same altitude we were at, but nothing too close. Manned aircraft have the right, but there is still a lot of unknowns about them.
Brad wrote: Mon Nov 09, 2026 10:51 pm
Came across several Amazon drones while up in the Helicopter today. A couple times they were nearly the same altitude we were at, but nothing too close. Manned aircraft have the right, but there is still a lot of unknowns about them.
I'm waiting for one to crash into our roof or garage door... it's bound to happen. Robots can't be 100% error proof! LOL
I live about a mile inside the drone deleivery circle in Gretna and have yet to see one anywhere close to our address. Have seen them flying multiple times when I drive 370. One time my wife and I were headed down 370 and we saw six in the air at once. From what I could tell, it looked like four were inbound and two were outbound. That was a crazy thing to see.
For the record NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER !!!!!!!
I also wonder how they handle protected wild life species. We were flying west over West Glies Road and saw one eastbound over Wehrspann Lake. There is a Bald Eagle's nest near the soccer fields on the east side of the lake. Not sure if they are till there, but at one time the area around the nest had no drone signs near it. Then just east of the Amazon building is a Great Blue Heron rookery (nesting area), and Great Blue Heron are also a protected species.
I'm not against the drones, I just have a lot of questions about the logistics.
Last weekend I'd say about 6-8 of them dropped packages in our area near 185th & Giles. It's still impressive and yet kind of terrifying that we're at this place in time now. I'm really surprised that it didn't "take off" more with fast food delivery services. Maybe it's not worth the investment.
djc311 wrote: Tue Nov 10, 2026 3:00 pm
Last weekend I'd say about 6-8 of them dropped packages in our area near 185th & Giles. It's still impressive and yet kind of terrifying that we're at this place in time now. I'm really surprised that it didn't "take off" more with fast food delivery services. Maybe it's not worth the investment.
The last drone delivery we got, the box bounced twice and flipped upside down. Fine for some computer cables and health/beauty items; prepared food would have spilled everywhere. That might be why it never took off for that
Incidentally, the boxes Amazon uses for these are nuts. Instead of inflatable packing material the boxes have triangular cardboard inserts that fold inward and create a compartment for the products to sit in. They're heavy. Great for craft projects for the kids!
I understand that it is building for the future and testing a process, but there is no way that drone deleivery can be cost-efficient at this point. That, IMO, is another reason that food deleivery would be a way off.
For the record NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER !!!!!!!
