Historic Flirtey Drone Donated to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
The Flirtey drone used to make the first FAA-approved drone delivery in the United States has been accepted into the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where the space shuttle, Discovery, the SR-71 Blackbird and the first aircraft operated by FedEx are also displayed. The six-rotor drone was used to deliver medication to a rural medical clinic in Wise, VA, on July 17, 2015, after the medication was flown to a regional airport by a remotely operated NASA winged aircraft.
The carbon fiber and aluminum drone has a delivery system that lowers a package in a controlled manner while the drove hovers in place. Its built-in safety features include an automatic return-to-safe-location in case of a low battery, low GPS signal or communication loss.