Amazon drone pad in North Myrtle Beach faces noise and FAA questions before Oct. 20 decision

Amazon

A public workshop on Amazon's planned drone paddock in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was held October 7 at City Hall and took no vote. The planning commission can approve, deny or postpone the application on October 20, and resident feedback so far is almost entirely negative.

• The plan is six launch pads and 12 MK30 drones behind a Water Tower Road warehouse, limited to 1,000 deliveries a day.
• Amazon's workshop slide gives 68 dBA at the pad on arrival; an FAA filing based on Amazon's own tests gives about 82 dB for takeoff at 20 feet from the pad.
• Amazon says overflight decisions rest with the FAA, while the FAA says local operators and community leaders have primary responsibility.
• Approving the pad would authorize no flights; Amazon is pursuing federal authorization separately.
• The city attorney is still researching whether the city can write an ordinance on operating hours or noise.