Wing and Walmart Launch Drone Delivery in Memphis, Wing’s First Tennessee Market

Wing and Walmart have brought drone delivery to the Memphis area, giving Wing its first operating market in Tennessee and adding a slice of eastern Arkansas. Service started on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from three Walmart Supercenters, and Wing says tens of thousands of homes around those stores can now order by air.

Where it flies

The three launch stores are:

• Walmart Supercenter #950 on U.S. Highway 64 in Bartlett, Tennessee
• Walmart Supercenter #2322 on North Germantown Parkway in Cordova, Tennessee
• Walmart Supercenter #70 on West Service Road in West Memphis, Arkansas

Wing has not published a precise service map, so eligibility comes down to individual addresses. Customers can check in the Walmart app or at Wing’s Walmart page and join a waitlist if their street is not covered yet. Orders can be placed in the Walmart app, on Walmart.com or through Wing’s own app, and Wing says they can arrive in as little as 30 minutes. Local TV station Action News 5 reported that drone delivery costs $19.99 per order.

“Starting today, local families have a faster, more convenient option for last-minute groceries and daily necessities, while helping ease neighborhood traffic,” said Heather Rivera, Wing’s chief business officer.

How the drones operate

According to Wing, its aircraft cruise between 150 and 200 feet above the ground at up to 60 mph. When a drone reaches the customer’s home, it hovers at about 23 feet and lowers the package on a tether instead of landing, then climbs away. Payload is capped at 2.75 pounds per trip for now. Wing says it will raise that to five pounds soon, but it has not said when. DroneLife noted Wing’s figure that average flight times are five minutes or less.

That small payload shapes what people actually order. Think of a forgotten ingredient, a bottle of medicine, snacks or diapers, not a full week of groceries.

Part of a fast national rollout

Memphis is the sixth metro where Wing and Walmart are flying, joining Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando and Charlotte, which launched in October. Wing’s Walmart page lists more than a dozen markets as coming soon, including Cincinnati, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, St. Louis and Tampa. The companies say they plan to reach nearly 20 major U.S. metros by 2027.

Wing told DroneLife it has completed more than 1 million deliveries this year and that the Walmart program now covers more than three million customers. To support that growth, Wing recently announced it will invest up to $125 million in U.S. drone manufacturing.

What this means for drone pilots

Each new Wing metro is a reminder that the low-altitude airspace over American suburbs is getting busier. Wing’s aircraft generally operate between 150 and 200 feet, which overlaps with the altitudes where many hobbyists and Part 107 pilots shoot real estate, roof inspections and neighborhood video. If you fly around Bartlett, Cordova or West Memphis, expect to see delivery drones near those Walmart stores, keep a good visual scan, and give them plenty of room. Remote ID and the FAA’s growing traffic management tools help deconflict operations, but the pilot in command is still responsible for seeing and avoiding other aircraft.

The rollout also points to jobs. Delivery networks need people who understand airspace, weather, aircraft performance and operating rules, and those roles almost always start with a Part 107 remote pilot certificate. If you want to get certified, Drone U’s Part 107 test prep course covers everything on the exam, and students have been known to take the online course in 3 days and pass the test.

Sources: DRONELIFE; Wing; Wing Walmart service page; Action News 5.

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