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Flying the fairways: Testing drone delivery at the Lakes of Taylor Golf Club

How cool is this drone delivery? (Photo provided by Detroit Region Aerotropolis)

More than 75 people were offered the chance to view “an advanced air mobility demonstration,” as it was called, earlier this month in Taylor.

It happened Aug. 19, and the opportunity was on the table thanks to the city of Taylor, along with Airspace Link, Inc.; Detroit Region Aerotropolis; Dronedek and Zing Drones.

Commercial drone pilots utilized the Airspace Link LAANC software platform to make a fun delivery: Bundled snacks and beverages to a Dronedek mailbox at the Lakes of Taylor Golf Course.

How much do you know about drones?

Drones offer possibilities to assist in keeping suburban populations connected -- without families always having to leave their homes, according to Detroit Region Aerotropolis.

Drones also can take off and land from more efficient points at neighborhood community sites and fly from local shopping centers to routine delivery sites for easy and local pickup options to community members, the group said.

Drone developers and operators currently have regulatory hurdles to overcome with routine and longer distance drone operations, but eventually, in the years to come, drone operations over traffic and over people will start to evolve, thus reducing the time it may take for community members to drive and park at a facility, according to Detroit Region Aerotropolis.

This offers further reduction with the need to get from one location to another, and can open up local distribution networks and other areas of convenience. Finally, this might help avoid any traffic congestion on the roads, which could result in transport delays, as the group pointed out.

Airspace Link works with the Detroit Aerotropolis and drone service providers to apply a crawl/walk/run approach that starts immediately with this basic trial, and then, based on the success of the trial, future operations will proceed with the key stakeholders to grow the missions gradually over time, so that longer distances and higher payload capacities can be scaled for enhanced drone transport.

The Lakes of Taylor Golf Course, by the way, provides a great place to challenge yourself or learn the game, to spend a wonderful time outdoors with your family, or to have a unique dining-out experience or banquet venue, Detroit Region Aerotropolis said.

The course spans a total of 7,028 yards from its longest tees. It begins with the picturesque stadium hole, where golfers kick off from an elevated tee that plays between 435 and 332 total yards, and what follows is a course that is both thought provoking and relaxing, according to Detroit Region Aerotropolis.

The course is perfect for challenging the more experienced player, or with helping the rookie to relax, learn and absorb the classic game of golf.


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