Bruce McPherson

Aerial initiative in Grand Forks, ND aimed at helping address health crisis by delivering food, medicine & essential goods to local backyards and keeping households safe

(Grand Forks, ND. April 24, 2020) – In response to the COVID-19 crisis, leading drone technology company Flytrex, in partnership with EASE Drones, the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation and the City of Grand Forks, announced today the launch of its drone delivery service directly to backyards in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The initiative will provide necessities such as food, medicine and other essential goods via drone to selected households observing social distancing recommendations, helping address the growing health crisis by keeping citizens in the safety of their own homes and reducing crowding and unnecessary contact at local stores.  

The deliveries will be made in cooperation with the Northern Plains Unmanned Aerial System Test Site (NPUASTS), with takeoffs taking place across the street from a local shopping supercenter, where provisions will be purchased. During initial stages of the pilot program, deliveries will be offered to a select number of area households which have opted-in to the service.

“In this time of crisis and social distancing, drones provide the ideal solution to bolster delivery capacity while keeping citizens safe at home,” said Flytrex CEO Yariv Bash. “UAVs offer safe, swift and efficient delivery of much needed goods with no risk of unnecessary human contact for consumers. We hope this initiative will alleviate hardships for as many of the people of Grand Forks as possible and help keep them safe and provided for.”

The Flytrex service will meet the highest drone delivery safety standards in full compliance with U.S. Federal Aviation Authority regulations.

“With COVID-19 threatening the wellbeing of our community, our businesses, and our way of life, we are committed to easing the burden on our citizens by leveraging unique resources in this time of crisis,” said Grand Forks Mayor Michael R. Brown. “With innovation in our community’s nature, we are proud to spearhead the use of drones to ensure the health and welfare of our citizens. With the help of Flytrex and EASE Drones, we are deploying UAVs to limit unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus. We hope other communities will follow.”

Flytrex brings significant experience in direct-to-consumer aerial delivery to the North Dakota initiative. In 2017, Flytrex launched the world’s first on-demand urban drone delivery service in Reykjavik, Iceland. In 2018, Flytrex established its first partnership with EASE Drones, launching a fully operational system at King’s Walk Golf Course in Grand Forks. Soon after, in 2019, Flytrex was selected by the FAA to participate in its UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

“Following our launch in Grand Forks, with the continuing cooperation of local authorities and the FAA, we aim to expand our drone delivery service to help citizens in other areas of the town, the state, and the entire country – as quickly as possible,” added Flytrex CEO Bash.

To read more about the drone delivery initiative and how it is helping with the response to the COVID-19 crisis, go to: https://www.flytrex.com/united-states/grand-forks/