Amazon’s Markham Site Hits 300 Drone Orders a Day as Neighbors in Illinois and Idaho Push Back

Amazon’s Prime Air network is no longer a novelty in two markets we have already been watching, and the neighbors are starting to talk back. In Illinois, a Chicago Tribune report from a Nov. 11 ribbon-cutting says the Markham site has generally hit a daily cap of 300 drone orders, while Homewood’s mayor says the village got no notice before flights started. In Idaho, neighbors told KIVI they can hear Prime Air drones inside their homes, and Nampa has asked Amazon for flight data, BoiseDev reported.

Markham is at its cap, and Homewood says it was not told

We first wrote about this rollout in late October, when about 21 drones were already flying from Markham and nearby residents were split on the noise. See Amazon Drones Settle Into Chicago’s South Suburbs. Deliveries from the Markham center began on Oct. 12 and cover a 7.5-mile radius that includes Homewood, Harvey and South Holland, the Tribune reported. Amazon economic development manager Sam Bailey told the paper the site has generally reached its maximum of 300 drone orders a day, with thousands of orders flown by 21 drones. A Matteson site will launch next, he said, without giving a date. Bailey put the sound at delivery at a peak of 68 decibels, described it as brief and daytime-only, and said 60% of the Markham inventory can go out by drone in packages of up to 5 pounds. Packages come down from about 12 feet, and a drop is canceled if the drone detects movement below. “You want your kids inside the house,” Bailey said.

Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld told the Tribune the village received no warning from Amazon before the flights began. “You just don’t know until you look up and there it is,” he said. Hofeld said the village has already heard complaints, including questions about why the drones were flying and how residents would be notified. Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa, who cut a ribbon at the site, said he had already used the service and that Amazon had addressed noise and safety concerns to his satisfaction. Homewood, Dolton and other municipalities have pointed residents to Amazon and the FAA with noise, delivery, property-damage or safety questions.

In Nampa, the complaints are about noise you can hear indoors

Prime Air began flying from Amazon’s Nampa fulfillment center on Oct. 30, a launch we covered in Amazon Drones Go Live in Nampa, Idaho, While Westborough Gets a Pause. KIVI’s Keith Burrell interviewed neighbors who say the buzzing continues inside with windows and doors closed. Anna Luke said her backyard had been a family sanctuary, especially for her mother, who has limited mobility, and that the flights have taken the ease out of sitting outside. Neighbor Kristie Patterson, who works from home, said she hears the drones indoors every day and has started looking at houses elsewhere after 10 years in the neighborhood.

BoiseDev’s Erin Banks Rusby reported on Nov. 11 that the drones fly a 7.5-mile radius and can carry packages of up to 5 pounds across about 170 square miles, including parts of Nampa and Meridian. Nampa Communications Director Amy Bowman told BoiseDev the city has received about 20 to 25 emails and phone calls since launch, has shared those concerns with Amazon, and has “requested flight data on the drones.” Bowman said Nampa is talking with Amazon about compliance with the conditional use permit approved in May. Amazon spokesperson Nissa LaPoint told BoiseDev the company is evaluating options, “including potential adjustments to flight paths to reduce the concentration of flights over certain areas.” Meridian has received a handful of emails and calls, the city told BoiseDev. Both cities have published guidance on how to complain to Amazon and the FAA.

What this means for drone pilots

Delivery networks do not just need airspace approval. They also have to live with the people under the route. The Markham cap, the lack of notice in Homewood, and the Nampa noise complaints are a reminder that volume, sound and communication with cities will shape how fast these services can grow, and how crowded the air may get over streets where Part 107 pilots already work. Do not interfere with a delivery drone. If you want to fly commercially in this environment, start with the certificate. Drone U’s Part 107 test prep course covers airspace, operations and the rules of the national airspace system, and students have been known to take the online course in 3 days and pass the test.

Sources: Chicago Tribune / Daily Southtown; KIVI / Idaho News 6; BoiseDev; Drone U’s earlier coverage of Markham and Nampa.

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