Alphabet Wing LLC Unveiled An Air Traffic Control App For Drones

OpenSky App

Wing LLC is a subsidiary of Alphabet - the parent company of Google - has become the first drone delivery firm ever to be certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Before this monumental achievement in the U.S., it has launched relatively great businesses in Helsinki, Finland and Australia. Though the increasing number of drones that the company is fielding is starting to become a concern: It needs to keep this large fleet of drones and their cargos safe. Just a few days ago, Wing announced its solution: An air traffic control app called OpenSky made specifically for drones.

This free application is currently available only in Australia and can run on both Android and iOS platforms. The company wrote a post on its blog saying that the aim of the app is to aid drone operators in the safe operation of aerial vehicles, as well as helping them plan out the safest and most effective flight routes without breaking aviation laws.

The app version for Australian users now comes with a checklist similar to those that real pilots have on commercial airliners. The checklist includes various critical points and information such as hazardous situations, airspace restrictions, as well as the proximity to heliports and airports. The app will automatically alert users when an emergency occurs, and when there’s a sporting or special events occurring on the flight path or in the local area for operators to avoid.

Big Players Are In

But Wing is not the only tech company that is trying to develop an air traffic control app for drones. Big players like NASA have been hard at work for four years building and perfecting their own system. And the popular drone manufacturer DJI, starting from next year, will automatically alert nearby airplanes of their presence to avoid conflicts or accidents.

Ford has also jumped up the drone bandwagon and presented a solution of their own. However, Wing is at a special advantage due to its collaboration with the Alphabet. Being the owner of navigational data-rich apps like Google Maps, Alphabet has access to a vast array of data that Wing can use to better its system.

It’s currently not known when Wing would launch its drone delivery service in the U.S. But we do know for a fact that the company is planning to start a trial run of its service in Southwest Virginia about later this year.