You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Amazon Is the Latest to Get Approval to Fly Forward With New Drone Tests Under some very specific guidelines, Federal regulators have given Amazon, along with insurance companies, permission to use small unmanned aircraft systems.

By Catherine Clifford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Drones, or small unmanned aircraft systems, still evoke the Jetsons a wee bit. But increasingly using drones is becoming generally accepted business practice.

Federal regulators just this week granted Amazon permission to test drones for making deliveries and for outdoor research, according to a letter posted on the Federal Aviation Administration's website, dated Wednesday of this week.

That said, it isn't a free-for-all for the Seattle-based giant. Amazon's drones can not fly faster than 100 miles per hour, fly higher than 400 feet above ground level and can not weigh more than 55 pounds, according to the letter.

Related: Martha Stewart Is Way More Into Tech Than You Ever Realized

Amazon has been gunning to use drones for delivery since July, when the company initially petitioned the FAA to allow it to use drones. But it took until March for the FAA to grant permission to finally Amazon.

Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, blasted federal regulators for being so slow. By the time the FAA approved Amazon's petition to use drone technology, the technology had already evolved and become more sophisticated, Misener said in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Following the heat the FAA took for being too slow, the government agency today announced that it would be able to approve "summary grants" of new drone technology going forward. This new method of updating regulation is "far more efficient" for pushing regulation changes through, according to a statement from the FAA.

Related: The Drone Industry Hates the Word 'Drone.' So, What's a Better Option?

Meanwhile, as Amazon is gearing up to be able to use drones to deliver packages, three insurance giants -- names AIG, State Farm and USAA -- also announced this week that they have been cleared by government regulators to use drones to observe, catalogue and manage damage caused by natural disasters.

"AIG is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in providing better, faster, and safer risk and claims assessments to our customers," said Eric Martinez, the executive vice president of claims and operation at AIG, in a statement. "Leveraging cutting edge technologies like UAVs can enhance our ability to assess and mitigate risks to better help our customers and their communities prepare for and rebuild after a catastrophic event."

Drones will allow insurance companies to serve their customers faster in the wake of a natural disaster, according to State Farm insurance company. "The potential use of UAS provides us one more innovative tool to help State Farm customers recover from the unexpected as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Wensley Herbert, a Vice President of Claims at State Farm, in a statement announcing the new regulatory permission.

Related: Rolls-Royce Reportedly Honing Nautical Drones
Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Business Solutions

Streamline In-House Developer Work with This $40 Program

Microsoft Visual Studio features tools to help programmers code faster and build complex projects across different languages and platforms.

Marketing

You'll Never Succeed in a Complex Market Unless You Try These Strategies

Complex industries offer opportunities in market needs, potential profitability and expansion opportunities — but the key to being successful is developing and supporting a clearly differentiated value proposition that separates your organization from potential competitors. Here's how to do it.

Thought Leaders

These Are the Five Attributes of Highly Successful and Happy People

If you'd like to be happier or more successful this year, then ask yourself if you're truly exuding these five attributes. The happiest and most successful people I know execute on these game-changers exceptionally well.

Side Hustle

I Started a Semi-Passive Side Hustle That Earns $33,000 a Week on Amazon: 'Selling There Is a No-Brainer'

Dr. Jenny Woo wanted to create a product that would help people connect, and it turned out to be a lucrative one.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.