“The future is now. “Stéphane Layani, Chairman and CEO of Semmaris, the company which manages the international market of Rungis, did not hide his enthusiasm this Wednesday a few moments from the first commercial flight in an urban area of a drone. 25 minutes later, the aircraft flew over the area, making the whole of a building and landed on the roof of its “vertiport”. The case of truffles and caviar lemons he was carrying comes out intact.
If at first glance the event does not seem revolutionary, it is because it is only one stage in a long process initiated by the company Dragonflypads. Its goal is to develop the use of the drone for different situations and in particular that of delivery. Hence the creation of its vertiports, cubic-shaped cabins that serve both as landing and take-off runways for drones, but also as charging stations, shelter for the pilot and computer station.
Rungis in a “mini-city”
If Rungis was chosen, it is because its configuration is particularly suitable. “It’s a mini-city, the population is very dense, there are large buildings, cars, high voltage lines, highways and even Orly airport nearby”, explains Eric Gauthier, one of the co-founders of Dragonflypads. Rungis is then the ideal site to test various possible scenarios in a metropolis.
First delivery flight “in an urban area” by drone over the Rungis international market. pic.twitter.com/dnoHbdO3SB
– Romarik Le Dourneuf (@rledourneuf) November 18, 2021
In Rungis, despite the proximity of the buildings, frequent, and often urgent, round trips can be long due to the traffic, hence the relevance of the place. “For example, Paris is already very dense, we can no longer push the walls and continue to bring in trucks. The drone is an ecological and economical solution for last mile logistics as it has proven here, ”adds Stéphane Layani.
Infrastructures to be created
If the big boss of Rungis speaks of possible development at 10 or 12 years old, many obstacles still stand in his flying path. Techniques first, such as the difficulty in carrying heavy loads, the drone presented this Wednesday could only carry “only” 5 kg. But above all, it is sensitive to weather conditions such as strong winds or rain. “I think we will find the solution to make drones fly in all weathers, as we have managed to do with airliners”, assures Cyril Godeaux, aeronautics expert, now employee of Dragonflypads.
The infrastructure is also lacking to accommodate such a device. This is where the vertiports can take on their importance. “Placed everywhere, they could serve as a recharging, maintenance and repair station for pilots, as long as there is one because we also hope to find a way to automate the drones”, specifies Cyril Godeaux.
Public acceptance
For the moment, the overflight of urban areas by drones is still prohibited. For example, for this simple test flight, the Dragonflypads team had to fill out a request with the prefecture and with the civil aviation directorate. “In all, 6 months and 250 pages of dossier for a single flight,” sighs Cyril Godeaux. The expert hopes to be able to develop an aerial drone flight network, with “tunnels”, on the model of aviation. To speed up authorization requests, the start-up is currently developing an application that could prepare these requests directly and transmit them to the authorities in real time to receive the green light as quickly. Initially, these flights could be limited to corridors little frequented by the population, “like the Seine which would be a very good opportunity in Paris. “
If the Business model of these infrastructures remains to be found (“Parcel relays” on the Amazon model are mentioned), one of the biggest obstacles to the development of the drone delivery system remains public acceptance according to Cyril. Godeaux: “The population must accept the idea of having flying machines above their heads, with the noise that it makes and the very measured fear of the risk of falls. “