On December 12th, the first snow of this winter covered the mountains in Yanqing with a layer of silver. Amid the falling snow, a logistics drone carrying over 20 parcels of express and newspapers slowly took off from the post office in Zhangshanying Town, flying along the cloud-controlled 3D route towards the 7-kilometer-long Yanqing Winter Olympics Village. Like a snow-bird, it delivered essential supplies to the Heluo Mountain. This is also the first drone logistics route opened by Beijing Post.
“Mail loading is complete. Pre-flight checks have been completed, and it can take off normally!” Around noon on the 12th, as the platform command was issued, the drone’s propellers changed from gentle humming to a powerful roar. This special “air courier” took off. 14 minutes later, the drone landed smoothly in front of the tourist service center of the Winter Olympics Village. Compared with the 35-minute ground transportation, the efficiency was increased by about 60%.
The “air mail route” from Zhangshanying Town Post Office to the tourist service center of the Winter Olympics Village is the first drone logistics route opened by Beijing Post. The Winter Olympics Village is located at the foot of Heluo Mountain, with an altitude of 940 meters. Although the straight-line distance from Zhangshanying Town Post Office to the Winter Olympics Village is only 7 kilometers, ground delivery requires a 15-kilometer winding mountain road, making it difficult to travel in rainy or snowy weather. To improve logistics efficiency, after a year of preparation, this route was opened and conducted its first flight test run.
On December 12th, the snow in the Heluo Mountain area was heavy, causing difficulties for traditional vehicle deliveries. This was also the first mission carried out under snowfall conditions after the route was approved. We wanted to test the operation capabilities of the drone in special weather conditions.” Gao Jiaxu, the head of the unmanned operation team of China Post Yanqing Branch, said, “Early surveys and evaluations showed that our drone should be able to handle this task.” The M30C drone, which was put into use this time, is a “big guy” weighing 25 kilograms and with a 2.2-meter wingspan. “The wings of most drones are four-axis, but this one is six-axis, which means it has higher load capacity and stability.” Gao Jiaxu explained. With the two core technologies of “satellite positioning module” and “RTK differential positioning technology”, the Beijing TT Aviation produced M30C can achieve centimeter-level take-off and landing accuracy. Equipped with a 18-liter insulated and waterproof lifting box, it can transport over 300 letters or 100 packages at one time. Even in the face of 6 to 7-level strong winds, it can fly smoothly. As expected, M30C completed the task beautifully that day.
This snowy efficient delivery is a vivid illustration of the vigorous development of low-altitude technology and industry in Yanqing. “The responsibility and mission of China Post is to ensure mail delivery to every village. However, mountain transportation and weather conditions often affect delivery efficiency. Drone logistics precisely fills the gap.” Gao Jiaxu said. “Yanqing is the only civilian unmanned aviation experimental zone in Beijing, with 374 square kilometers of airspace advantage at the Wansheng Aviation Airport. It provides important support for unmanned operation.”
(came from Xinhua News Agency – Reporter Li Yao)
