Residents in Christiansburg, Virginia had a birthday present and Tylenol dropped on their lawns via drone this afternoon, the first deliveries of their kind in the United States.

Officials from the White House and FAA were watching as a drone, operated by a former Google project now called Wing, dropped packages on three yards. The trial is part of DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program.

Wing, which is running the project with Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, is collaborating with FedEx Express, Walgreens and the local Virginia retailer Sugar Magnolia. The project is the first to receive approval from the FAA for commercial drone package delivery in the United States.

Christiansburg resident Paul Sensmeier ordered a pink vest from Dick’s Sporting Goods as a birthday gift for his wife. The last mile of that FedEx Express delivery, which would normally be via truck, was done with a Wing drone.
More>>